My Immortal
by Labyrinth Liz
Summary: Ten years have gone by since events in the Labyrinth. Sarah's life has taken a turn for the worse, and Jareth is tormented by memories of her. All is not as it may seem in the Aboveground, or the Underground...
1. Chapter 1

_This is my first fanfic, so please be kind:) Constructive criticism is welcome, and please review!_

* * *

It was midnight when something startled Sarah awake. Sitting up quickly she looked around the room, lit only by a small night light beside her bed, watching for something to move. When nothing did she climbed out from under the warm covers and hurried across the room to turn on the lights, hurried as if something might jump out and grab her.

But the bright lights on revealed no one in her room. Her heart, which had been pounding in her chest like a hammer, slowly calmed down and she was able to breathe again.

It was not the first time she had been startled awake, it had happened many times before. It almost felt like someone or something was in her room, sometimes just standing nearby and looking at her, sometimes like someone was stroking her hair softly and whispering things she couldn't quite hear in her ear. She always woke up at those times, terrified at who it might be in her room, but there was never anyone there.

Sitting back down on her bed, Sarah looked across to the vanity, and at the cloth that covered the mirror. She had no desire to see the girl in the mirror, she knew what she would see, so she didn't bother to take the cover off.

She knew she still looked the same as she did ten years ago. Her hair was just as long and dark, her features were the same as they had always been, her height and weight and form were still the same. But there would be a few extra mar Kings that she didn't want to see. They would be fading now, but she knew they were there.

Sarah knew what she should have been by the age of twenty five. She should have gone through college, maybe met someone, had a career. Above all else she should have been happy. That was all she ever wanted to be, just happy and contented.

But she was not happy, hadn't been happy in so long that she almost couldn't remember what it felt like.

It had started after Karen had left her father and taken Toby with her. She had been 18 at the time, old enough to be called an adult, but still young enough that those childish weaknesses could be preyed on. And that was just what her father did. He was heartbroken when Karen left, and Sarah knew that his life had been turned upside down by it, knowing how much he loved his second wife and their child.

But she hadn't realized just what kind of love he had for Karen, how controlling he was over her life, and how much he took from her in such a short time. As time went on he started to take control of the little things that didn't seem to matter so much, things like how often she went to town on her own. After a while he started saying how often she could go to see her family and friends and how often they could come to the house, and he shaved it away until there was nothing left.

Karen resented it, but she made the best of it that she could. But it was only a matter of time before things got worse, and soon she wasn't allowed to even talk to anyone on the phone, letters were read by him before she could read them, and then she wasn't allowed to answer them.

Toby wasn't let out of the house and they became as isolated as anyone could possibly be. But Sarah didn't see it because she was not put under her father's orders. She went to school everyday, got good grades, and even won a scholarship for college, but never saw how her step mother and brother were suffering. How she could have been so blind was now beyond her.

At last Karen had had enough and walked out one night when her father was asleep, leaving only a note on the kitchen table saying goodbye and a picture of Toby for Sarah to remember him by.

Sarah looked on the picture that sat on her vanity, the smiling face of the boy she had wished away, the boy that she had battled the Labyrinth to get back. She had grown so fond of him after that 13 hour ordeal, he had become such a large part of her life that when she lost him it tore her apart, perhaps even more so than it had her father.

She found the note in the morning before he did, and when she showed it to him he broke down. He collapsed into a chair and buried his face in his hands. Sarah couldn't seem to make herself move, so just stood silently by his side, tears falling down her cheeks.

"Sarah, please don't leave me now!" he had begged, grasping her hand tightly in his.

"I'm not going anywhere, dad." she had sat down when he pulled her into the chair beside his.

"If you left here I would die." he whispered. "Please don't go away."

"I won't. College is just a few hundred miles off, and I can always come back on weekends."

"You can't be so far away from me right now, I can't bear it!" he looked at her with wet eyes, and she felt another tear run from her own eyes. "Please don't go, it is too soon. Even if it means not using the scholarship, you must stay for a while longer. I will even pay for your tuition if you will just remain here till I get myself put back together."

She was not able to refuse him, and gave up the scholarship, firmly believing that he would do as he promised.

But time went on. When she brought it up he grew angry and refused to even admit that he had promised to pay for her college, and when she tried to remind him he slapped her across the face.

Still she stayed with him, thinking it was just taking longer than either of them had thought for him to get his life back together. It was not long until she found out he was drinking heavily. He would come home at nights and be raving drunk, started throwing things and finding offense at anything and everything around him. She hated being around him, but hadn't the heart to run away. He was her father, how could she abandon him?

Her thinking that she might be able to pull him out of his drinking was soon proved hopeless. He got worse and worse, as did his fear that she would leave him, and soon she was just as trapped as Karen had been. She was locked up for weeks at a time, a prisoner in her own home, and all her friends quickly gave up on her. College never came, and the time went slowly by. Yes, he had used her childish weaknesses against her, and she became totally trapped by it.

For a while she had her Labyrinth friends, who she would sit and talk to for hours and hours when times were harder to bear than usual. But she couldn't bring herself to tell them what had happened to her life, the thought alone felt like she was betraying her father, who she still loved though he treated her like the lowest form of life on the planet.

But one night she must have talked too loud, for her father came bursting into the room, rage on his face. Sarah was sure he didn't see Hoggle in the mirror, for he never said anything about it, but what he did see was enough to make things infinitely worse for her.

"Staring at yourself in the mirror, eh?" he shouted, grabbing her by the hair and yanking her head back. "So vain, just like your stupid mother, not able to see beyond anything but what you see in yourself!"

His hand lashed out and caught her hard on the face. She cried out in pain and fell to the floor. A quick glance at the mirror showed that Hoggle was not watching, and for that she was thankful. She couldn't stand the thought of anyone seeing what was happening to her by her own father, she just couldn't.

"Get up!" he shouted, kicking her hard in the thigh. She stood as quickly as she could, but it wasn't quick enough for him and he hit her again. "Let this be a warning to you! If I ever catch you ogling over yourself again, I will take your face and smash it though that mirror so you won't have anything to be vain about!"

Since that time she had only called on Hoggle once, and that was to say she wouldn't be able to call as much as she used too.

"Why, Sarah?" he had asked, his strangely ugly yet cute face covered in a look of confusion.

"Well, things have been getting very busy around here, and I need to spend more time on certain things than I have been." she smiled sadly. "It is what we call Growing Up in the Aboveground, and it happens to the best of us. But I will never forget you, I will always love you, and I will try to see you at times."

"If that is what ya's have to do, then that's what ya's must do." he looked sad, but understanding. "Do ya want me to give any message to anyone?"

"Please tell Ludo and Sir Didymus that I miss them, and they are always in my thoughts."

"Of course." he looked at her a long moment, both of them silent. "Ya look like there is something else floating around in that pretty head of yours."

"Um, there is." she felt shy about saying what she did next, but why she did she didn't know. "Jareth, is he doing well?"

"I guess ya could say that." he rubbed his chin. "He still enjoys being the King and tormenting."

"And turning children into goblins?"

"That is so untrue! If a baby is born a human he can't change it! A human is human, a goblin is a goblin, there ain't no changing from one to another by his hands. He may be a mighty King, but he ain't no god."

She didn't know if she relieved to hear that or not, but didn't press the matter. "But, he is well?"

"Oh, yeah. He seems a bit moody at times, like he was missing somethin'. And sometimes he goes out and runs the Labyrinth himself, almost like he was runnin' after somethin' he can't quite catch. But, otherwise, he is doin' fine."

"I'm glad to hear it. He is being good to you?"

"Always was good to me, good to all of us really. He is a pain in the hind quarters lots of the time, but that is just what he is. He can be cruel, but thinkin' on it he is never cruel without bloody good reason." Hoggle chuckled. "The worst thing he ever did was make me Prince of the Land of Stench, but he never actually made me live there, so I guess it ain't that bad after all!"

Sarah laughed, the last laugh she was to have in a very long time, and said a tearful goodbye to her beloved friend. After that she normally kept the mirror covered, only taking it off once in a while to use for things like brushing her hair and the like. She had never dared try and talk to Hoggle again, her face was always too covered in bruises.

But now, as she sat looking at the covered mirror she realized she didn't care if Hoggle saw them or not. If he asked questions then she could dodge them easily. Besides, the bruises were almost gone, surely he wouldn't notice.

Standing up she reached out and ripped the cover off. She decided she would call on Hoggle, not knowing when the next chance might come. It was past midnight right then, and who knew what time it was in the Underground, but she didn't care. She had to see him again.

When he came into Sarah was glad to see she hadn't disturbed his sleep. He was in the gardens, spraying for little fairies just like the first time they had met.

"Sarah! Ya finally called on old Hoggle!" he looked like he wanted to jump through the mirror and into her world.

"Oh, Hoggle! It is good to see you!" her eyes brimmed with tears.

They talked without stopping till it was dawn.


	2. Chapter 2

Jareth walked slowly and calmly down the corridors of the Labyrinth, retracing the steps he had taken so many times before and would no doubt do many more times in the future.

To all that saw him, mainly the lichens and Eddie the Worm and the occasional stray goblin, he looked the same as he always did. He was dressed in his usual tight fitting trousers, a white poets shirt with the front hanging open to show his necklace and pendant, a black vest for contrast, boots and gloves made from the softest and toughest leather to be had. His hair was still long and golden with bits of blue, his features still perfect in every way save the mismatched eyes.

Those that saw him could see nothing wrong with him at all, but that didn't make them forget the fact that this wandering along the same path in the Labyrinth was a very odd thing for the King to be doing. The first time he did so was strange enough, but seeing him doing it every other day made it even more so.

His reasons were unknown to all but himself. He was a Royal without a confidant, which was fine with him. He didn't need all the Kingdom knowing why he did what he did because a confidant couldn't keep his mouth shut. It had happened to too many other Kings in the Underground, their closest and most personal secrets being laid out for all to see just because of a chatterbox or a gossip, and he had no intention of letting it happen to himself.

Jareth continued walking slowly down the corridor, stepping over the glitter covered branches that littered the stone ground. The only sound was the clicking of his heels, and the light sound of his breathing.

"Allo, King Jareth!" Eddie shouted out at him as he passed. He stopped to look at the cute little blue worm.

"Allo, Eddie the Worm." he replied. "How is the missus?"

"Ah, quite well, sir. She hopes you are well." Eddie grinned happily.

"As well as could be expected." Jareth sighed, looking at the walls. He knew where the hidden doorway was, and his eyes drifted to it. He could still see Sarah, the only being to have ever beat his Labyrinth, walking through it. "Has anyone else gone through that hidden way there?"

"No, sir. Only Sarah, she was the only one who ever went through there." Eddie said with a note of triumph and pride in his little voice.

"I gathered as much." he looked back down on the worm. "The only reason she made it through was because you told her where it was."

"Aye, aye, that's right!" Eddie nodded his head, making the little feathery blue hairs on his head bob up and down.

"I have often wondered why you told her and no one else." He knelt down to eye level with his small subject. Eddie was not unnerved and answered his King promptly.

"Why, sir, because she spoke to me!"

"Explain."

"Everyone else who comes through here just run and run, never looking at things around them, never seeing things. She did that for a while, then sat down on my doorstep. I said 'Allo', and it went from there until I told her the secret."

"I still don't see what you are driving at, Worm." Jareth rubbed his chiseled chin with gloved fingers. Eddie knew that his King was getting impatient, so went on.

"Anyone and everyone else who has come through here never spoke to me. A few hundred, just a small number of the millions who have come through, sat where she sat and I tried to engage them in conversation. But they all either passed out, or got up and ran away screaming. I never thought of myself as terrifying before. Do you see it?"

"No. But, from a mortal point of view I guess that a talking worm would seem rather frightening."

"'K, so that is it. They were scared of me. Anyway, she wasn't. She was surprised at first, but she wasn't scared. That is the first secret to getting through the wall to the other side, you have to talk to Eddie or you'll never find the opening. No one ever talked to me, so they never got through. Sarah talked, Eddie showed the way."

"But why didn't you let her keep going the way that would have led her right to me?"

"She told me she had to solve the Labyrinth, but she just kept running on and on and never found a twist or turn to take. The rule here is to ask the right questions or say the right thing, and she basically asked for my help in finding a turn to take. I gave her the help she needed, but didn't give the shortcut. If she had asked for that I would have given it to her, but she didn't so I didn't offer it to her." he looked at his King with big eyes. "You see, sir?"

Jareth thought a moment, then a smile crept across his face. "You are rather clever for a worm, Eddie."

"I suspected as much." Eddie made his hair bob again. "Moral of the story: When you are in need of help, just speak and someone will hear you."

"I can think of a good many morals to that story. The one you just said is only one of them." Jareth reached his fingers down and straightened Eddie's scarf. He wondered if the moral of the story was directed at him, but didn't ask. "You are also a very wise worm, Eddie."

"Thank you, sir." Eddie smiled. "Now, if there is anything on your mind what needs talking about, you just call for Eddie."

"There is much on my mind, but I don't know if I can talk about them just now. Give me time and perhaps I will be back to see you." he rose to his full height. "Are you discrete?"

"Ask anyone in the Labyrinth, they will speak for me."

"Have a good day, Eddie. And give the missus my best wishes." Jareth conjured up a crystal and tossed it up in the air. It floated down and gently landed on Eddie's veranda. Little flowers of every shape and color sprung out of the bricks, making the whole of the veranda into a lovely miniature garden for the Worms to enjoy.

"And a good day to you, sir!" Eddie shouted to be heard as the King turned and walked through the wall and out of sight. "Aye, he has got somethin' on his mind, he didn't threaten me or even say anything about my helping Sarah solve the first puzzle of the Labyrinth. What has happened to change our Goblin King?"

JSJSJS

Jareth was following the path that Sarah had taken through the Labyrinth. It made him feel closer to her somehow, all this retracing her steps through all the dangers untold and hardships unnumbered. He started at the beginning each time, right on the hill where they had stood together looking towards the castle beyond the Goblin City, and went through the doors and down each path she had gone down. It was a long trek, so much longer than he had ever realized as he had never traversed it on foot before she had come into his life, but he wouldn't use magic to make things any easier for himself.

"I didn't make it easy for her, I won't ever make it easy for myself." he vowed each time he started down the long trip to his castle.

When he ran the Labyrinth it felt like she was just around the corner, just waiting for him to catch up with her. He would run faster and faster, hoping to see her waiting there for him around that next bend. At times he could almost swear he heard her soft voice calling to him on the breeze, and it kept him going at times when he wanted to give up.

Today was no different. He went on the very same trail she had taken, and always it felt like she was just ahead. His heart would flutter when he heard her voice calling him softly, and he charged on, and on, and on.

On he went, through the tunnel of Helping Hands (which he found to be very distasteful, but endured nonetheless), down to outrun the Cleaners, who were always waiting for him and on till he reached the garden where Hoggle had given Sarah the peach that nearly stopped her from reaching his Castle.

It always caused him pain when he came to that place. He could see her eating the peach, see the look of bewilderment on her face, see her gazing off into nothingness. Her words still haunted him.

"This is where I lost you." he said out loud, though there was no one there to hear him. "If only I hadn't made Hogwart give you that peach, you might be with me now."

When she ate the peach she lived a perfect dream where she had danced with him in a ballroom made of crystal. But she had managed to break away from it when she heard the chimes of the clock, and she fell into the land of Broken Dreams. When she had regained her memories she viewed him as the villain that was trying to stop her from saving her baby brother.

"And she will always think of you as such. You are a fool, Jareth! A complete fool!"

He conjured another crystal sphere out of thin air and threw it up in the air. When it came down again it was a peach. "Perhaps I should go the whole way this time, feel everything I put you through with that rotten piece of fruit. Perhaps I can find you again, even if only for a moment."

He looked at it for a long time, then put it to his lips and took a large bite out of it.

"It tastes strange." he said, thinking of Sarah when she ate her peach. "Oh, what have I done?"

He found the very tree that she had grasped when trying to keep herself on her feet, and used it for the same purpose. His eyes looked off into space. He felt like the word was spinning all around him, things were taking on a glitter and glow that was beyond any beauty he could describe with words.

"Everything is dancing." he said, knowing at once what Sarah had felt like. Everything was so perfect, just like a dream. He was tired, and soon sat down at the base of the tree to rest. Crystal orbs seemed to come from nowhere and dance around him, though he couldn't be sure they were real or not. Everything seemed otherworldly, even to him.

His mismatched eyes followed the orbs, and grew larger when he saw Sarah in one of them. She was wearing that same ball gown, looking for all the world like a Queen of the Underground.

"Sarah!" he whispered her name and reached for her.

Suddenly he was in the ballroom. Only this time he was trying to find her among the other dancers, and she always evaded him, laughing lightly as she did so. He pushed through the dancers, pulling off a few masks as he went along, trying to find Sarah, but never was she where he could reach her.

"Was this how she felt? Searching for something she could see but couldn't secure?" he asked himself, feeling as lost and lonely and confused as she had looked as he tormented her. How could he have been so cruel?

Just when he felt that he was giving up, when there was no hope for him, Sarah was there in front of him. She walked up to him slowly till they stood toe to toe. Though he was much taller than her he felt small. She could do anything and he would submit, she had a power over him that no one had ever had before, but it didn't matter. She was there with him, they were together, and nothing else mattered.

He took her hand gently in his and pressed it to his lips. Her skin was warm and soft, scented of the sweetest and most lovely flowers. Her hair was swept up in that lovely hairpiece that she wore the last time they were there together, keeping her long and luscious locks away from her perfect face.

"Don't you want to dance with me?" she asked, laying a hand on his shoulder.

He found himself unable to speak, the joy of having her near to him again was too much. In answer to her he wrapped an arm around her waist and both of them started to sway to the music. She laid her head against his chest, and he rested his cheek against the top of her head. He was happy, so happy for the first time in so long. He realized he had forgotten what it was like to feel like he did at that moment.

This was how it was meant to be, the two of them dancing together, not caring about anything else in the whole world. There was nothing else, just them and the music to dance to.

He was so lost in the moment that when a chime was heard he was shaken to his core. He cast a sharp look at the clock in the corner, showing one to thirteen, and his dream was shattered.

"Jareth?" she looked into his eyes, he knew she saw the tears in them. He didn't care really.

"I have to go, I can't stay here." he whispered, gazing back into her eyes. "This isn't real, it is only a dream."

"But a dream can last forever, if you want it too." she reached up and touched his face. He was surprised to feel nothing in the action. The dream was shattered, and he couldn't feel anything but his own sorrow.

"I do want it too, but only if you were real." he smiled sadly, and started walking away, leaving her alone on the floor.

"But I am partly real, I am a part of Sarah, just not her entirely. Can't that be enough?" she called after him.

"No. I need her entirely, or not at all." he watched her eyes fill with tears, and turned away. He was not surprised by her next words, words that only she could say the way she did.

"It's not fair!"

"No, it's not. But that is the way it is." he didn't turn around as he spoke.

He had reached the wall of the room, the giant sphere shaped mirror that reflected everything in a distorted way. The image of himself, twisted and blown out of proportion, was frightening even to him, and he quickly grabbed a chair and used it to destroy the mirror before it drove him mad.

People everywhere started screaming in terror as the world shattered and fell apart, but Jareth hardly heard them. He was falling down slowly, and the air rushing past him was the only thing he heard or felt, until he landed hard on a pile of cans and other rubbish.

"What a fall, for a Goblin King." he laughed bitterly. "You were once on top of the world, and now you sit on a throne made of discarded garbage."

And he felt strangely comfortable right there. He made no effort to move away, but just laid there, exhausted, until sleep had claimed him at last.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"_As the pain sweeps through, makes no sense for you, every thrill is gone, it wasn't too much fun at all..._" Sarah heard the words go through her mind over and over again. They were all that there was right then, just the words, the music, and his voice. Not even the pain from her father's hard beating could hurt her as long as the song ran through her head.

"Perhaps there is magic in music," she whispered to herself as she lay on her bedroom floor, blood staining the carpet where it dripped from her nose and cut lips. "It takes away the pain, takes me away from everything that hurts me."

Her father had heard her talking to Hoggle the night before, but waited until breakfast to confront her about it. She had just served up his coffee and eggs when he grabbed her wrist and yanked her into the chair next to his.

"You woke me up last night." he growled. She knew he had heard her, and the terror of what he might so was in her eyes, she couldn't hide it.

"I'm sorry." she said.

"Yes, you are sorry aren't you? A sorry excuse for a daughter!" his voice raised up and he twisted her wrist sharply. She cried out in pain. "See? You can't keep quiet, always making noise when you should be silent!"

"Please! I won't do it again!" she begged him to stop twisting her arm.

"You sure won't!" he stood up, pushing his chair over to crash on the floor, and took hold of her hair. He started out of the kitchen and towards the staircase, dragging her with him. "How old are you now?"

"Twenty five." she answered, trying to keep up with his giant strides.

"I should think that is old enough for you to start behaving like an adult. Perhaps you just need some incentive to behave your age!" he turned the knob on her bedroom door, but used her face to ram it open. She didn't make a sound, not even when she felt the blood start dripping from her nose. It wasn't broken, but it wouldn't be pretty for a long while.

He took off his belt and used it to beat her for a full half hour before deciding it was enough, that she had learned her lesson. She hadn't made a sound through the whole beating, though the belt had sliced her skin open in several different places and stung every bit as bad as a knife.

By the time he was done she was laying on the floor beside her bed, numb from the pain running through her body. She tried to pull herself up, tried to move off the floor, but she couldn't do it. All her energy was gone, and so she just stayed where she was.

From somewhere in her mind, creeping up slowly and gently, she heard Jareth's voice singing to her the song from the ballroom. Its washed over her like a wave, soothing her and making the pain seem but a memory.

"..._ But I'll be there for you, as the world falls down..._" the words played over and over, again and again, taking her into the past. She remembered running the Labyrinth, remembered everything with crystal clarity. But most of all she remembered Jareth, how he had danced with her, how he had sung to her so...

"Lovingly." she felt a shock go through her at the sound of her own voice, and at the sudden thought that came to her head. Had he really cared? She had always thought of him as the villain, the one who stood in her way, but was it really the case?

"_You cowered before me, I was frightening. I'm exhausted from living up to your expectations of me!_" he had said. But she hadn't really listened to him. Did he mean that he was the villain because she had expected him to be so?

But the ballroom? The song? She hadn't expected him to do anything like that, she hadn't wanted him to make a dream come true for her (she admitted it to herself, she always had wanted to dance with someone in a ballroom, but she had never thought about him doing it for her.) but he did it anyway. Did it of his own free will.

"_Out of my love for you..."_

Where did that voice come from? Sarah lifted her head and looked around her room, but saw nothing. Was she losing it? She wouldn't have been surprised.

Sarah let her head drop back onto the floor. The pain was starting to come back, so she thought of the song and of Jareth, and it eased till it was gone. She was tired, so tired, and closed her eyes.

"_Sleep, my Sarah. Sleep..."_ his voice came to her again, and this time she didn't try to see from where. She felt light and almost free, the soft drowsiness coming over her like a warm blanket. As she drifted away she could have sworn she felt gentle fingers run over her forehead, brushing away some strands of hair, but she knew it had to be a dream.

It had to be.


	4. Chapter 4

_Thanks for the reviews! I went and took care of all the typos (I think my open office has a little problem with it!) _

* * *

It was Sir Didymus who found the Goblin King sleeping in the garbage heaps. He was on his way to the castle to make a report and a few requests concerning his Bog (even though Hoggle was the Prince of the Land of Stench, Sir Didymus still considered himself to be the true ruler of that beloved land) when he had gone by the rubbish. He wouldn't have noticed the King had it not been for his boot sticking out.

"Um, what is this? Strange to find such fine boots in the rubbish heaps." he spoke to his dog and noble steed, Ambrosius, as he jumped off his back and made for the fine footwear. He sniffed the boot and tugged at it. "Not moving, eh? Don't tell me there is a body attached!"

And indeed there was, as he discovered when he knocked over a few piles of garbage. But the body of his King was the very last thing he expected to see, and it shocked his system so badly he nearly fainted.

"Your Majesty!" he gasped once he had regained himself. "Hast thou fallen? Canst thou rise? Majesty?"

He gently shoved the King, who didn't move, and then gave him a hard poke with his staff. The result was a sharp intake of breath by the King, confirming that he was still alive, but did nothing to rouse him.

"Ambrosius!" he called in his sharp, and slightly shrill voice. The dog came running up to him, and he quickly mounted. "Ready yourself for a great run, my steed! The King needs our help, but we must gather our allies to assist. Away!"

Ambrosius ran like the wind and Sir Didymus had to use all his strength to keep himself from flying off the back. As they ran down the streets of Goblin City the locals had to jump out of the way to avoid being run over by the charging knight.

A short while later a trio made their way up to where the Goblin King was sleeping. Ludo, the largest and gentlest of all, looked down from his great height and frowned at the state his ruler was in.

"He think garbage friend?" he asked his companions.

"Well, ya got to have some sort of friends!" Hoggle said, glaring at Jareth. "I just never thought he would associate with the trashy kind!"

Together the three moved the trash aside and pulled Jareth out of it. He didn't move, and Hoggle compared him to a discarded rag doll when Ludo picked him up and slung him across his massive shoulder.

"But, what is this I see?" Sir Didymus pried a peach out of Jareth's fist and sniffed it. "I never thought of him as a peach eating fellow. What say you, Brother Hoggle?"

Hoggle looked at the peach and felt the memories of the past come flooding back at him. He had given the same kind of peach to Sarah, something which he still regretted deeply though she forgave him, and now he knew the King had eaten it. He knew Sarah had lost her memories, now he feared that Jareth would lose his own. And then what would become of the Kingdom? Of the Underground?

"Hurry, we must get him to the castle! Move, Ludo! Sir Didymus, ride ahead and get the King's doctor and give him the peach, have him waiting for us in Jareth's chamber. NOW!" Hoggle started shouting orders like he was in command. Normally Sir Didymus would have argued with him over who was in charge, but he had a feeling that Hoggle knew more about the situation than he did, and so ran to do his bidding.

Hoggle took hold of Ludo's right leg and rode him to the castle, knowing he couldn't keep up with the giant's strides.

"Aw, Jareth! What have ya done?" he grumbled to himself as they headed for the castle.

JSJSJS

"Vell, I cen tell ye vone sing," the doctor said after he had finished looking Jareth over. Hoggle sat nearby. He found the accent of the doctor, whose name was Jibber and who came from the Outer Edge of the Kingdom, very annoying. The replacing of 'w' with 'v' and 'a' with 'e' (and vice versa) made him want to tear what little hair he had out of his head. But, seeing as how the King was not doing so well right then, he decided not to say anything. "Zee King iz completely exhausted."

"Yes, and?" Hoggle tapped his foot impatiently. He was sitting beside Ludo and Sir Didymus on a low and heavy bench, watching the doctor examine the King.

"He hes not hed zleep in a long time. My guess vould be zat he hes not zlept in zeveral monthz. I cen't tell vhy, not yet, but I vill run a few more testz." he picked up the peach that had a bite out of it and held it up to the light. "Ye zay zhat he took a bite out of ziz?"

"It was in his hand, so I would guess that he did!" Hoggle snapped, all the z's in Jibbers accent getting to him.

"Um..." he looked at it closely, then popped it in his leather sack. "I vill have a clozer look at it. In zee mean time, no vone iz to disturb zee King. I vant an armed guard placed at hiz door so zhat no vone cen get in, and I vill be beck soon to check on him. In zee meantime I vill azzign a goblin to keep an eye on him. If zere are any dewellopments I vant to be informed right avay!"

"Why not assign a nurse?" Sir Didymus asked.

"I know vhat you are sinking, and zee answer is no! Zee nurse in question iz a woman, and she iz not fit to attend zee king. I vill care for him myself, I will not allow that Fallen One to lay vone hand on him!"

Hoggle felt himself grow angrier with Jibber, and not because of his accent. How the doctor dared to speak of the fair lady way beyond him. But he wasn't about to pick a fight, not in the sick king's chamber. He would wait till another time to put that upstart doctor in his place.

Jibber picked up his medical nonsense (for that was what it all was to Hoggle, just a bag of nonsense) and slung it over his thin shoulders. He dropped a few bottles onto the bedside table, each containing some brightly colored liquid and pills, and headed for the door.

"Doc? Is there any great danger to the King? I mean, is his illness dangerous to his life?" Hoggle panted as he ran after the tall doctor. He was surprised at his concern for the King that had threatened him on multiple occasions, delighted in tormenting him, and scared the stuffing out of him in general.

"It cen eazily become so, but iz not at zhat point yet." he said, slowing his stride so the dwarf didn't have to run so fast. "Zee best I cen see iz zhat he haz been deeply troubled and it iz playing hard on his health. Vhat zee cause iz of his trouble, I cen't say right now. Have ye noticed anysing, or haz he told ye anysing?"

"No. He ain't in the habit of tellin' anyone anythin'. Ya think that talkin' to somone would help him?"

"It might. I sink ye should try and find somevone who cen be trusted in such sings. I know of no vone, but zere has to be somevone of zhat sort in zee Kingdom."

Hoggle thought instantly of one creature who was to be trusted. After showing the doctor to his little cottage in the city, the dwarf quickly ran out of the main gates and out into the Labyrinth. It was dark by that time, but he knew where he was going and nothing would stop him. He was going to find Eddie the Worm.

JSJSJS

Though Jibber had given Jareth a sleeping potion just to be sure he didn't wake up for a long while it didn't help. Around 13 o'clock, midnight, his eyes fluttered open. He was drowsy, but quite aware of his surroundings. He was also painfully aware of a snoring goblin in the corner, the sound ran like a creaking hinge through his ears.

How he had gotten back to his room in the castle was beyond him, he had no memory of it at all. The last thing he could clearly remember was being with Sarah in a dream. Her eyes, her face, the feeling of her being so near yet so far away, it was all too much. He felt his heart break with longing, and he cried out for her.

The goblin turned over and stopped snoring.

"Jareth?" a soft voice came from the darkness. He looked over to the corner of the room and saw her standing there. At first his heart leaped in his chest and he was overcome with joy, but then grew angry.

"Stop tormenting me!" he growled, throwing off his covers and getting out of bed. It was another dream, there was nothing more to it, and he had had enough of dreams. They were a poor substitute for reality.

"Jareth, please-" Sarah tried to go on, but he cut her off short.

"You are gone, Sarah. You left me, so why don't you just leave me alone. Your presence lingering here, never giving me peace, it is destroying me!" he went over to the farthest corner and turned his back on her. His gloved hands ran through his wild gold mane in an act of frustration. "I'm tired of hearing you but not seeing you, of seeing you in dreams and not being able to touch you for real. To hear your voice in my head but never with my ears. In my dreams I can hold you, but dreams are not real. Why must you torment me so?"

Sarah, or at least the phantom like form her presence took, hung her head. "I want to leave, I don't want to be here like this, but I can't help it."

"You won the Labyrinth, you got your brother back and you said the words that sent you to the Aboveground. Nothing of you should remain, but yet you are here. I have no power over you, remember saying those words? You took power over yourself with them, so you should be able to leave me alone!" he spun around and marched to the veranda doors, throwing them open wide. "Go! Out of my sight! Leave me to my loneliness!"

"I can't leave, Jareth! I'm trapped here, and I can't find a way out." she looked at him, her eyes brimmed with tears.

"You are trapped here? How is that possible?"

"I'm not sure. All I know is that ever since I left a part of me has been stuck here. I didn't leave it behind willingly, it was held here by something I can't explain." she walked over to him, but didn't reach out to touch him. Her face was tired and pale, nearly as pale as the long white gown she was wearing. "All I know it that wherever you go I go too, and I can't stop it."

"You have been following me around the Labyrinth? You are always just ahead, just where I can't see you, and are always laughing and speaking to me. Seems that you have been enjoying every minute of tormenting me!" he showed his sharp teeth in anger. But she didn't appear afraid.

"No, not tormenting you. I enjoy being with you at times, it just brings a lightness to my heart when you run after me, to know that you care enough to do so, but I don't mean to, or enjoy, tormenting. At one time I might have, when I was a girl and still headstrong and selfish, but not now." she went and sat down on the bed. He noticed her feet were bare when they stuck out from under the long flowing skirt.

As quickly as his anger had come it subsided and he became deeply sorry he had been so harsh with her. Her tears cut him to the heart, and he couldn't take the feeling on top of all the others that threatened to overwhelm him.

"Don't cry anymore, Sarah." Jareth sighed and stood in front of her, arms crossed over his chest. His eyes met hers.

"You are tired, Jareth." she observed. His eyes grew misty, though he tried to fight it off.

"Yes, I am." he felt a tear slide down his cheek. "I've tried so hard for so long to get over you, and I have lost. I thought once you were gone that your hold on me would be gone, but it is not so. Not having you here with me is destroying me, and I can't seem to stop it."

"I'm not fully here, but part of me is." she reached up and brushed away his tears. He held her hand against his skin, kissed the fingers gently. "I have been with you since I left."

"And yet I'm still alone."

"As am I."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I can't explain, I only know it to be true. This is not my world, Jareth. Things happen that I don't understand, all I know is that they are real."

"Why did you come to me tonight and never before?"

"The best answer I can give is that I heard you call, and I answered." she suddenly looked tired. Her hand touched her head as if it hurt. Standing quickly she swayed slightly as if she were dizzy. He put his arm out for her to take hold of, but she shook her head. "I have to go now, I can't stay."

"But you will return?" he couldn't believe he was asking her, the old him would have commanded her to do so.

"I don't know if if will be able too, but I will try." she headed for the door, her steps halting and unsure. "Just wait for me."

"Always."

She smiled, and then faded away into the darkness, leaving him alone.


	5. Chapter 5

_Thanks for all the kind reviews!_

_Sorry it has taken so long to get the next part uploaded, but you know that life has a nasty habit of getting in the way:)  
_

_Enjoy, and please review!  
_

* * *

Sarah woke to find herself in her bed. She remembered being on the floor, not having the strength to move, but getting onto the bed was something she didn't remember at all. She had to have done so in her sleep, there was no one to pick her up and move her.

A glance at her bedside clock showed the time to be half past eight in the evening. She had been out for the whole of the day.

Slowly she sat up, groaning softly as she did so. She was stiff and sore, her head was swimming and she was so nauseas that she would have vomited if there had been anything to vomit up. But it had been so long since she had eaten anything that she had a few dry heaves and nothing more.

Carefully she felt her face. The skin was hot to the touch, and her cold hands felt good on it as she laid them over her eyes and cheeks. She grimaced in pain when her fingers felt her nose. It hurt worse than anything, a sharp, cutting pain that made her stomach lurch. When she looked in the mirror she saw that it had swollen to nearly twice its size, and was blotchy with horrible shades of red and purple bruises. Dried blood formed a path from her nostrils and across her left cheek.

Though her head was spinning and aching she still forced herself to get up and go to the bathroom to clean herself up. The skin on her arms and legs was black and blue, and the occasional cut was marked in dried blood brown and angry red. The cheeks were not so bad, they hadn't taken the worst beating and were only red and slightly puffy, but the bloody nose and cut lips were so ugly she couldn't hardly stand the thought of looking at them. But they needed tending to, and there was no one but her to do it, so she forced herself to keep looking while she cleaned herself up.

After a hot shower she felt better, and she had made a decision: She wasn't going to spend another night in her father's house.

A quick look showed her father to not be in the house. She was glad, he couldn't stop her from running away if he wasn't around.

Quickly she went up to her room. She pulled out a suitcase from under her bed and started putting her clothes in it. She didn't have much, a few pairs of jeans and shirts, some undergarments, so they all fit in the case with plenty of room to spare. The remaining space she filled with pictures of her family, some books and a few little trinkets that she wanted only because she loved them.

While she was pulling a few things out of her vanity a red leather book fell out and landed on the floor. She picked it up and read the golden letters across the front 'The Labyrinth.' She smiled to herself, remembering all that had happened in that world which few knew existed, from when she wished her brother away to her final face off with the Goblin King.

"I never thought it possible, but I miss you." she said to the penciled illustration of Jareth in the front of the book, which looked exactly like him. "If you didn't hate me for beating you I would wish myself back into your world."

"_I don't hate you..." _a voice came from behind her. She spun around, ready to see him standing there, but was disappointed when she saw nothing.

"Why can't you leave me alone?" she demanded of the air, throwing a few more things, including her beloved book, into the case. "I hear your voice, but I don't see you. Why can't you either show yourself or go away?"

"Who ya speakin' to?" Hoggle's voice came from the mirror. Her heart jumped for joy when she saw the beloved dwarf, and sat down to talk. She didn't bother to keep her voice down.

"Hoggle! I didn't know you could call me."

"Sure I can. I just happen to be bored stiff at the moment as there are no fairies to spray for. Most of the time I'm too busy to stop and call." he looked at her and his eyes filled with pain. "Sarah, what happened to ya?"

She touched her face, considered lying to protect her father, but then decided against it. She had had enough of lying to protect the monster. "My dad, Jake, he did this."

"Sarah, all ya needed to do was call and we would come to your defense!"

"I didn't think there was anything you could do." she sighed, pulling a bottle of aspirin out of her vanity and popping two of the white pills into her mouth. She swallowed them dry.

"We once told ya that if ya should need us, for any reason at all, then call."

"But what could you do against a drunk six foot two madman?" she demanded so sharply that Hoggle was taken aback. Sarah closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. Forgive me?"

"Sure, Sarah." he nodded understandingly. "But we could have told Jareth, he would have done somethin'!"

"Perhaps he would have, but perhaps he wouldn't have. There is no telling what he might have done." her voice went low, and her eyes dropped. "I don't even know if I would have called for help if I knew Jareth would come, I just don't know. There were reasons I would have not called for him, reasons which, at the time, seemed perfectly logical."

"Won't ya tell me the reasons?" he asked when she had been silent for a few moments.

"Not now, Hoggle. Some other time." she stood up and started putting a few last items in her bag. Her moves were exaggerated and her hands shook. "Not that it really matters now. I've decided that I'm not staying to have another beating, I'm running away and not coming back."

"Sarah, why did yer dad beat ya? " he demanded to know. "Can't ya at least tell me that?"

"I honestly don't know why he started beating me, and don't call him my dad again. He once was, but that man is gone. A monster stands in his place." her tone was cold in a way that Hoggle had never heard before, it made him shiver. "All that matters is that I won't be staying here to be his punching bag anymore."

"Where will ya go? What will ya do?"

"I don't know, but I will know when I get there. Wherever it is he will never see me again, and he will never hurt me again, I swear it. But I would rather not talk about that right now. How are you, and how is the Underground in general?"

"Not good." she looked at him worryingly. "Jareth is ill, not at all himself. He has slept for two whole days and the whole Kingdom is worried about him. The doctor don't know what is going on, or if he does he ain't tellin', and we are all beside ourselves right now."

"How sick is he?" she felt dread creeping into her heart.

"Well, he ain't sick in your fever sense of the word. He is more tired out than anythin', so much so that he can't function the way he used to." Hoggle looked at her carefully, and took a deep breath, tried to speak but could seem to make it happen.

"Hoggle, what is it?" she asked softly, sitting down. Hoggle saw the concerned look on her face and that seemed to help him loosen up.

"Don't throw a fit or get angry, Sarah, but... he misses ya." he backed off a few steps as if afraid she would explode through the mirror, nearly falling backwards into the fountain that stood in the middle of the Goblin City.

But she just sat there with a look of complete surprise on her face, her mouth hanging open slightly.

"He misses me?" she forced the words out, her voice dry and raspy.

"Very much, if ya want my opinion." Hoggle nodded.

"_Just fear me, love me, do as I say and I will be your slave!"_ that voice came back to her like a soft breeze. She shivered slightly, then recovered herself, forcing the voice away from her mind.

"Did he tell you so?"

"I don't need to hear spoken words to understand what is up with the King. I don't mean I know all about what is making him ill, I'm not that smart, but I know he misses ya and that is more than likely part of what is wrong with him."

"Do you think that having a message from me would be helpful?" she asked carefully.

"Seeing ya again would to him a nice bit of good." Hoggle's eyes lit up. Sarah almost laughed. She could see plainly that he cared deeply about Jareth. He might be an irritating man, a bit pompous and stuck up, arrogant and sly, but she realized that they all loved him anyway.

"I didn't mean for him to see me, I meant could you give him a message by word of mouth for me?" she touched her face and felt a painful twinge. No, she didn't want him to see her like this.

"Sure, that would be better than nothin'!" Hoggle ducked as a flying creature flew right over his head.

"Ok, tell him that I'm sorry he is unwell and I hope for his fast and complete recovery." she felt stupid saying such a thing, but couldn't think of what else to say to the Goblin King.

"Sarah, that is what EVERYONE is saying to the King! Can't ya come up with somethin' a bit more friendly and a little less... subject-to-your-King-like?"

Sarah thought a moment, not knowing what to say beyond the normal message that everyone was sending him. She didn't quite know how to say 'I miss you' to a Goblin King who hated her for winning the Labyrinth.

In the end she decided to be blunt. Flat honesty was the best policy.

"Ok, tell Jareth that I miss him, that I hope he gets well, and that maybe... he should come to see me sometime?" she thought that sounded more stupid than the last one, but Hoggle seemed to like it.

"That will cheer him up!" he laughed. "Do ya really mean that?"

"Yes, I do." she stood up and went back to packing "Oh, Hoggle, promise me you won't tell him about this." she indicated her face.

"But he might be able to help ya!"

"Please, Hoggle! I need to do this on my own, and I don't want to get the Underground involved in a case of Mortal Domestic Abuse. I'm leaving in a little while, and Jake will never see me again, so there is really nothing for Jareth to upset himself over. Please?"

Hoggle nodded. "Ok, but on one condition: if things shouldn't work out, or if ya should need help, please call me and we will come to your defense. Fair enough?"

"Fair enough." she nodded. "Hoggle, I never thought to ask before, but can you hear me if I have no mirror?"

"No. There has to be a mirror on each end, that is the only way I can see or hear ya. Pity I don't have Jareth's Crystal Eyes, then I would be able to see all, but those are something that only he can use. We dwarfs and goblins have to use the ordinary mirror." Hoggle looked over his shoulder at some commotion. Sarah heard the sounds of goblins and chickens shouting and screaming. "I gots to go now, there is a Kingdom with a sick King and it needs me to keep things goin'. Take care of yourself, Sarah."

"I will, and I'll see you whenever I can. Goodbye for now, Hoggle."

"Bye, Sarah. Be well!" he faded away into the mirror, leaving it blank but for the reflection of her room.

"I will be well. Jake will never hurt me again if I can help it!" she slammed her case shut and picked it up, grabbed her purse and the little money she kept for emergencies. Down the stairs she hurried, and out the front door into the night.

As she walked away from the house she felt as if she were walking out of a prison. The cool air filled her lungs and soothed the aches and pains, the light breeze gently lifting her hair. There was a sweet smell all around her, the smell of night flowers, green grass.

For the first time in years, Sarah felt free.


	6. Chapter 6

_Here is a new chapter, spent all of last evening working on it! Hope y'all enjoy!_

* * *

"Allo!" Eddie the Worm crawled his way into the King's room. Jareth was standing by an ornate fireplace, gazing down into the flaming logs. His glanced up and smiled slightly at the Worm. "You are looking better. How you feeling?"

"I guess I'm feeling better." he conceded, tapping his toe on the stones.

"You see? Having me to talk to off and on for a few weeks is doing you the world of good!" Eddie found his way up a tiny staircase and into the seat of a plush red chair. Jareth had constructed the stairs himself. He was weak, his magic not near so powerful as it had been, so using it for little things like the stairs kept him in practice. "I think we are making progress."

"I think so too, though I still have a hard time talking about things that are bothering me." Jareth sat down beside Eddie, slung one leg over the arm of the chair like he always did. "And I still don't know how I feel about having a confidant."

"Well, for someone who has a hard time talking about what's bothering him you sure are forthcoming with whatever is bothering you!" Eddie laughed. Jareth was sure that if Eddie had arms they would be wrapped around his middle right then.

Hoggle had come with Eddie about two weeks before. At first Jareth didn't know what to think, but then it soon was clear that the Worm was supposed to be someone he could talk to in confidence. When he learned that Jibber was the one who recommended a confidant he threatened to have the doctor struck off of the medical register and have him hanged upside down in the Bog. But his anger was short lived, and Eddie had such a way with him that he soon started trying to talk his problems out.

Now, several weeks down the road, he was feeling better and was more rested. He could still hear Sarah talking and laughing in the breeze, still felt like she was just around that corner, but it wasn't playing on his nerves like before.

"Where were we last time, Eddie?" Jareth flicked his wrist and a crystal sphere appeared. He swayed his hands back and forth, just letting it glide and slide smoothly along. He found it so soothing, and Eddie seemed to enjoy the show, so he did it at every session.

"I think we were talking about you telling me about your dreams. You said you were disturbed by them, they kept you from resting, and mentioned something about Sarah." Eddie looked at him with those big eyes and waited for Jareth to speak.

"I called them dreams, but I'm not sure that was accurate." Jareth said carefully. Eddie nodded his head, but didn't speak. "Not really sure what they are in all honesty, but dreams was the best way I could describe them without sounding like I was losing my mind."

"Aye, I get ya!" Eddie nodded.

"I guess you could call them visions if you like, though I'm not sure that is accurate either. They started years ago, a little while after Sarah had left."

"Did anything set them off? I mean, did somethin' happen that triggered the dreams?"

Jareth's sphere stopped moving suddenly, balancing on the tips of his fingers, as he lost himself in thought. His eyes closed and he pursed his lips together. "I am not sure anything 'triggered' them, but I know that something happened around that time that bothered me, though I'm not sure it had anything to do with it."

"Lets explore that then." Eddie prompted.

Jareth went on to say how right before the dreams started he had suddenly and unexpectedly lost contact with Sarah. He had never been 'in contact' with her since she won the Labyrinth, but he would watch her everyday with the aid of his Crystal Eyes (what he called the crystals that allowed him to see anything at anytime and anywhere) and make sure she was alright.

"You were worried about her?" Eddie asked.

"Not worried really, just wanted to keep an eye on her." he took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I guess you could say I had a special regard for the girl. Don't ask me why, but I did."

Eddie hid a smile. He could see that his King was smitten with the Champion of the Labyrinth.

Jareth went on to say that one day he tried to use the Eyes to see her and he couldn't. All he got was blank fog, and he couldn't tell why. He at one time tried to go and see her in the Aboveground, but he was blocked from going near her. He ended up in the middle of an intersection at rush hour traffic and was nearly run over by a speeding truck.

"I think I scared the driver more than I was scared by him!" Jareth laughed long and hard. Eddie liked to hear it. A lift in the King's spirits was a very good thing.

He tried several more times to see her, but each time he ended up in places where she wasn't, and soon he had to give up.

It was after he stopped trying to see her that he started feeling her presence wherever he went. It wasn't strong at first, just a little inkling, but soon grew to where it felt like she was there with him at all times, and when she wasn't there he would do anything to find her. He started running the Labyrinth, taking the same way she had taken, just to feel close to her again.

"I was, and still am filled with a terrible guilt. I was not kind to her when she ran the Labyrinth, I did truly enjoy tormenting and stopping her, but now I'm ashamed of it. I wanted to torture myself with each thing she had been tortured with, and I did everything I could to make myself miserable, just as she had been." he rubbed the bridge of his fine nose. "And last time I was foolish enough to eat a peach like the one I gave to her. I know it was reckless, I could have really lost my memory for good, but I didn't care."

"Aye, the doc took a good look at that peach. He concluded it was a Dreaming Peach, and had the side effects of losing ones memories." Eddie shook his head in disapproval. "You were lucky that you are immune to such things, not all Fae are!"

"Lucky? I wish I had lost all memory of her!" Jareth stood up and threw his sphere into the fire in anger. As if a dam had broken inside him the words came flooding out. "I miss her so much! Her face plagues my mind, her presence lingers, her voice still haunts me. There is no peace for me while I remember her and can't have her! Why does she stay with me yet leave me lonely and empty?"

Jareth felt a hot flood of tears well up in his eyes. He closed them tight, willing them not to fall, but a few squeezed out and trickled down his cheeks. His shoulders shook with silent sobs. Eddie felt his heart ache for the King. He now understood at least part of what troubled him, but he knew he was powerless to help make it all better. All he could do was suggest a course of action, and it was up to Jareth to act on it.

Calming down, Jareth leaned his head against the fireplace. His voice was soft and controlled, but he couldn't keep the sadness out of it.

"She came to me that night. She stood right there and talked to me. It was so real, she felt so real, but I know it was only her presence. I recall what she said now, she said she was trapped, that part of her was held here by something she couldn't explain." he looked at the worm. "Does that make any sense to you?"

"Jareth, forgive my asking such a direct question, but I need an answer. When did you fall in love with her?"

If he had hit Jareth over the head with a brick he couldn't have imagined a more stunned look. For an instant he was sure that the Bog was going to be his home for the rest of eternity, but Jareth did nothing. He seemed to be considering his answer.

"I think I always loved her, but I only realized it when she said I had no power over her. She said those words and I knew what I had let slip from between my fingers. But what has that to do with her being held here?"

"I'm no Wise Man, but I have a guess about that. I think what is holding part of her here is you."

"Careful, Eddie." Jareth warned him. "Don't say that I have brought all this down on myself when even I don't know it!"

"Hear me out. Words have power here, and saying no words have a power of their own. You loved her then, but you never told her. It has been preying on you everyday and you cannot escape until it is resolved. If you would only tell her how you feel then she will either accept it or not, but either way you will be free and so will she." Eddie nodded his head. "Aye, thats my guess."

"A pretty wise theory for a non Wise Man."

"Perhaps I have spoken to the real Wise Man for advice on certain things, and perhaps some of his centuries of knowledge and wisdom has rubbed off on me." Eddie said carefully. "He knows about some of these things, and if he were here he would suggest you go and see her, talk to her."

"But I can't get anywhere near her!" Jareth beat his fist against the stone.

"You must find a way. I don't know anything about this sort of thing, it is beyond what I'm able to comprehend and I have never talked to the Wise Man along these lines, so you are on your own. But you must tell her before it is too late." Eddie looked out the window and made ready to take his leave. "The missus will be wanting me home for lunch and I had better get a move on. Think about what I have said, Majesty. Think hard."

Jareth watched the worm head out of the room. Perhaps he had a point. Perhaps he had wanted Sarah to stay with him so much that he had unknowingly grabbed hold of part of her and held it there, and now he was paying for it.

Sighing, he walked out on his veranda and looked out over the Labyrinth. There were creatures down there, making noise and music, laughter and mirth. He felt so far removed from it all, had for so long, and knew it couldn't go on that way.

But he had no idea how to reach her, and unless he could then things would still go on in the horrible way that they had for so long.

Right then there was a knock on his door. He rolled his eyes back in his head and barked for whoever it was to enter. How could he possibly figure out what to do if he was always to be interrupted?

He watched as the doors cracked open and Hoggle came in. The dwarf was breathless, his ugly face had a bright red hue over it. Jareth knew at once that he had run far, and since Hoggle never ran unless the matter was urgent, he knew that there was something important he had to say.

"Haggle, what brings you running to your King's side?" he leaned against the wall and pulled at his gloves. "More news of demon sightings? Someone lost in the Labyrinth?"

"Something more important than that, Gareth!" Hoggle said the King's name wrong on purpose, just to see if he took a hint. But the filthy rat of a Goblin King didn't seem to even take notice, so he gave up. "I gots something for ya."

"Don't tell me, another collection of jewels from that pesky queen who is trying to bribe me into marriage with her little upstart daughter!"

"You could call it a jewel." Hoggle stuck his chest out with as much pride as he could muster. "I bring a message from the Lady Sarah!"

Jareth launched himself across the room and picked up Hoggle by the front of his shirt, lifting him high up in the air and shaking him madly, demanding that he spit the message out. Hoggle couldn't hardly breath, let alone talk, so he made motions with his hands to release him. Jareth took the hint after the third try, and set him down.

"Now, about that message!" he demanded, not even apologizing for his sudden and rather violent actions. Hoggle rubbed his head, knowing that getting no apologies from the King was to forever be his lot in life, and gave his Sarah's message word for word.


	7. Chapter 7

_As usual, thanks for the reviews! Everyone has been very kind, and it has boosted my confidence wonderfully:)_

* * *

Sarah had no idea where she was going when she walked out of Jake's house. She just let her feet take her where they would, and she would take whatever came across her path.

Soon she found herself in a little town about a hundred miles from her hometown. She had taken buses, hitchhiked, and even walked part of the way there, but she didn't care. She was free and wasn't going back.

By the time she arrived in the little town her bruises were nearly gone. Her nose had faded to a slight shade of red and the swelling was down so much that, unless looked at closely, no one could notice.

For a few nights she stayed in a cheap hotel, giving herself time to rest and take a look about the town to see what possibilities it held. Looking around didn't reveal much at first, but it was not long before she found a place where an elderly couple were renting out a room in their house. She had just enough money left to pay two weeks rent, so she went and secured the room for herself.

The room was small, but clean and neat, the rent was less than the hotel had been, and the couple was very kind. All in all it was the perfect place for her to be until she got back on her feet again.

Directly after securing a place to stay she went out and looked around for a job. The town was a small one, and the only job to be had was in the local library, and she was hired at the first interview. It was not that she was special in any way that they took her so fast, it was simply because she was the first person to ask for the job and they had been so shorthanded for so long that they would have taken anyone just to see if they were capable of doing what needed to be done.

As it turned out she was perfectly capable and a very hard worker. She loved dealing with books, being always surrounded by works of fiction and fact, the smell of leather and paper and ink.

A month into her job she had recovered physically. The awful marks and cuts had vanished completely from her face and body, leaving not a scar or any trace of them having ever been there. She had made a few friends in the town, though she doubted they would ever be really close. She had made her intentions clear that as soon as she had enough money then she would be moving on, and no one wanted to argue with her about it. They would miss her when she did move on, they said, but they knew she was running from someone and none of them wanted to stand in her way.

As soon as she was given her first months pay she went out and bought herself some new clothes. She was very afraid of being discovered by Jake and did everything she could to change her image. While she preferred girlie things, bright colors and lace, she knew it would have to be put aside for a while. She got herself some darker clothes, borderline goth style, but still modest, and added a few chains and leather to it. Her makeup became very dark indeed, black eyeliner and blood red lipstick, she even got a set of silvery grey contacts to hide her green eyes. And she wore some very gothic jewelery, rings on her thumbs, lots of cheap bracelets, and lots of horrid clip on earrings.

And she lost weight, lots of it. She knew she was just on this side of too thin, it would be dangerous to lose much more, but it made her look so different that she was sure Jake wouldn't be able to find her. She would put the weight back on when she was across the country, till then she could easily stand looking a little gaunt.

It was summer by that time, a lovely hot summer. During her lunch breaks she would go out to the parks to enjoy nature and a good book. Most of her reading was of the classics, Austen, Bronte, Dickens, but she still had a book of fairy tales and fantasy from time to time.

That particular day her book of choice was one that she knew as well as she knew herself, The Labyrinth. She had been getting ready for work that morning, putting on the thick black makeup, when she heard something fall off of her nightstand. Looking down she saw the leather covered book, and without a thought she had grabbed it and stuffed it in her purse and took it with her to work. Now, as she had finished her light lunch, she dove headfirst into that beloved novel.

She sat near the shade of a giant willow tree, her head covered with a white hat and eyes in thick sunglasses. There had been a rather chilly breeze earlier, unusual for such a hot day, and it sent a shiver through her, so she pulled the picnic blanket up over her bare legs and continued reading in the bright sun.

As she read she felt a heaviness form in her heart, and it got worse with each passing word. Slowly sadness crept over her as she realized how much she missed the Underground, it seemed so far away now. All her friends were there, and she missed them all so much that her heart ached. She was glad that her eyes were covered in sunglasses, no one could see the mist that gathered over them.

"_Who do you miss the most?"_ that voice nagged at the back of her mind again, and before she could stop herself she answered it out loud.

"I miss you. Heaven knows why I should, but I miss you, Jareth, more than anything!" she cried, holding the book to her chest. "I'd do anything to see you again, anything!"

All at once she got a most strange feeling. Everything had gone deathly quiet, the birds weren't even making their normal chatter. She looked up and saw a group of children across the grass, but they were holding perfectly still, as if someone had hit a pause button in mid play.

The sky overhead darkened to a deep purple and the sun went out as if covered by clouds, though the light around her didn't dim.

"Sarah?" a voice came from behind her, a shadow falling across where she sat. Fighting down panic she turned and looked up, her hat falling off the back of her head.

"Jareth!" she breathed. He smiled and walked around to sit in front of her on the blanket. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm not really here, Sarah. Only part of me is." he picked her hat up and held it out to her, and she took it from him.

"Thank you." she wiped a hand under the rims of her glasses quickly, then put on a brave face. "What are you doing here?"

"You called me, and I came." he reached over and pulled the eye wear off and tossed it aside as if it were a dirty cloth. "You still can order me around, can't you?"

Sarah reached out for the glasses, hoping the action would cover up her sudden trembling, but he tossed a crystal at them and they flew halfway across the park. She glared at him, but didn't shout any angry remarks. He looked surprised at her self control.

"I had nothing to do with it, you came of your own accord."

"That is a lie, but I will forgive you for it." he sighed. "Grown up but still unwilling to admit the truth to yourself. Or perhaps unable?" he shot her a look out of the corner of his eye.

Sarah stared right back at him, refusing to cower under his gaze. "I'm in no mood to play your games, Jareth! Tell me why you are here."

"You are looking well, Sarah. Much better than a month ago." he appeared to change the subject.

"So you are here just to bring back painful memories, is that it?" she asked angrily.

"No. You called me, and I came. You said you would do anything to see me again, anything." his lips formed an irritating smile, much like the one he gave her when she had wished Toby away, and it brought out her angry side.

"You are here to collect then, to see if I meant what I said? Well, you won't get anything, not one little thing! Even if I were to offer you something I'm sure you would want more than I was willing to give. Those mutterings were just my loneliness speaking," even to her those last words sounded weak. She didn't even know why she was behaving like a brute to him. She felt a terrible anger welling up inside and he was there for her to take it out on.

"Sarah, you let your mouth run away with you as usual! You accuse me and then condemn me without even waiting to hear what I have to say. Let me defend myself, and I promise that all I say will be the truth. Please?"

Words did have power, and the word 'please' from him was enough. She nodded, and he went on.

"I want nothing from you, only your company for as long as I can remain here, which won't be long, so surely it will be no burden to you. There is nothing you owe me which I need to collect on, nothing great nor small." he looked over the park and then back at her. "I do, however, have a few things to tell you, things which you might not like to hear but which I need to say while I'm still here. There is no guarantee that I will see you again thus, so I must get those things out of the way. If you have any questions for me you might as well get them out before I go on."

"Just one or two. Hoggle told me you were not well, though it was a while back. Are you feeling better?" she decided to try and get back on the right track with a bit of kindly concern.

"I am fine, though I don't know how the rest of me is doing right now. We haven't had much contact, you see."

"What do you mean? You are talking about yourself as a second person, yet you are right here with me, I can see you and hear you."

"This is a small part of me you are talking to, not the whole me. When you left the Labyrinth you took part of me with you, and I have never been able to get back. Not that I mind so much, but I do get lonely at times. Don't look at me like that, I am quite capable of being just as lonely as you are. Kings are not immune to such feelings."

Sarah realized her book was still open, so she closed it and set it aside. "I have been hearing voices in my head, they always sound like you. Was it?"

"Yes. I speak to you often, though I'm never sure if you can hear me, unless you tell me to shut up. I am also in your dreams, when you allow yourself to dream."

"I hate dreams! The remind me of things I would rather forget!" she snapped.

"Like what Jake did to you?"

"Shut up! It has nothing to do with you!" she stood up and walked away. He was close behind.

"It has everything to do with me when I could feel every sting of the lash as if it were on my skin and not yours, I when I could feel every moment of sorrow you endured as if it were my own." he was having to take big strides to keep up with her.

"If you know all about it then why didn't you stop him! You are all powerful, surely it wouldn't have hurt your larger than life pride to just stop him from beating me and making my life a living misery!"

"I couldn't stop him, I'm not fully here." he tried to explain, but she cut him off, turning on him like a tiger. Even though her eyes were covered with colored contact he could still see the anger burning in them like a fire.

"That is no excuse! Though you are not fully here you should have been able to call the rest of you here to the Aboveground, surely then you would have been able to stop him from hurting me!" she shoved him against a tree and beat her fists against his chest. Tears poured from her eyes, she screamed out some of the hurt and anger that had been locked up for so long. "You freak! You stupid freak, why didn't you help me? I know you hate me for winning my baby brother back, I know you will always hate me, but why couldn't you show some pity?"

Jareth took hold of her wrists and tried to hold her still, but she fought against him like a wild thing. She continued to scream, berating him and blaming him for all that had happened to her over the last seven years. He knew she didn't mean any of it, but he let her use him to get the anger out. He forgave her for everything she did or said even before the action was committed.

She exhausted herself quickly and her legs nearly gave out under her. He grabbed her arms and held her up against him, wrapping her in a strong and protective embrace. Her screams quieted to low sobs as tried to regain some control over herself.

"No, don't." he rubbed her back gently. "Let it out. You have held onto it for long enough."

His words let a fresh wave of tears come to her eyes, making a wet spot on his shirt. As she cried she came to realize that the anger and pain that coursed though her was the first thing she had felt in a long time. She had not felt happiness, nor sadness, nor anything since leaving Jake's house. She had built up a wall to protect herself from ever being hurt again, but within the wall she had grown numb to every feeling around her, even the good ones.

She was glad the walls were falling down, that she was able to feel something again, even if it was only pain right then.

"Pain will pass." he said as if reading her mind. "Happiness will always find a way back to you."

When she had quieted he led her over to a bench and sat her down on it. Lowering himself beside her he kept his arms about her.

"Will you listen if I tell you what I know?" she nodded against his shoulder. "When you left the Labyrinth you took part of Jareth with you, though you never really knew it. It was as if you had a hold on part of him and couldn't let go, and that part has been with you all these years. It was only when Jake started controlling you that I came out to where you could notice me. Before that I was just a little thought in the corner of your mind. I couldn't stop him from hurting you, it was beyond my power to do more than ease your pain and fight away your fears."

"You sent the music?" she thought of the music she had heard the last time she had been beaten, how it had driven away everything except a feeling of peace.

"Yes. As you may have guessed by now, music has power, it was the most powerful thing I possessed, so I used it to help you. At times I was able to touch you, but not often."

"That was you and not a dream? Someone touching my hair, touching my face?"

"Yes, it was me. You thought it a dream, but it was real. I guess you could say my role was like that of a protector, though I hadn't the power to protect you from everything. I tried hard to do more, but when one is living inside another's head there is only so much one can do. Please forgive me for not being strong enough."

Sarah did so willingly. "But why couldn't I ever see you before? I could feel you near, here you at times, but never saw you."

"Today you wanted to see me again so much that you really would have done anything. That deep a feeling of want cannot be ignored or denied, and I was the one it was directed at. Call it a royal summons, if it helps you to understand. Such a thing cannot be overlooked."

"But I'm not royalty." she protested, but he placed his gloved finger against her lips, silencing her.

"You won the Labyrinth, that makes you something more than common in the Underground."

Sarah didn't really understand, but right then she didn't need to. All she wanted was to be there with him, the rest of the world frozen in time. She pressed her face against his chest and breathed in the unearthly smells that reminded her of the Labyrinth, felt the steady beat of his heart. She sighed, wishing that moment could go on forever.

"But it can't, Sarah." he said sadly, reading her mind again.

"Why not? You are here, you have stopped time, why can't it just be stopped forever?" her hands grabbed handfuls of his shirt. She was suddenly afraid of being left alone, the thought made her tremble with a nearly overwhelming feeling of panic.

"This is not the full me, Sarah. You can't live the rest of your life with just a part of me that you can only feel in your mind and see hardly ever. Building a life around that would kill you, and I can't let that happen." he held her away from him, his hands resting lightly on her shoulders. "I love you too much to let that happen."

"You-" she didn't dare believe she heard right. "you love me?"

"Yes, I do. I have loved you for so long, yet have never been able to tell you." his hands slid down to hold her hands. She grasped them tightly.

"Why not?"

"Pride, fear, you name it, I'm guilty of it." he smiled, looking down at the ground. His head shot up suddenly and he looked into her eyes. "Are you in love with Jareth?"

Sarah let her mouth gape open at his sudden and direct question. She didn't know how to answer, never having thought about her true feelings for the Goblin King. Digging deep she saw her answer.

"I do love you." she said with only a slight hesitation in her voice. Her next words grew stronger. "Yes, I do. Loved you all along, but didn't ever really think about it. Why did I never realize it till now? I could have had everything all these years if I had only known that I loved you and that you loved me!"

"Perhaps yes, perhaps no. I love you and you love me, that is a start, but it is not as simple as that. It is not me you should love, it is him. It is not my love that you should seek, it is Jareth's."

"If you love me then surely he does! How can you love me and the rest of you feel otherwise?"

"The love I feel for you is a decade old, it is how he felt when you left the Underground. I haven't had any contact with the rest of me, I have no idea how he feels now. He might love you just the same, or he might hate you, or he might love you more than you could ever imagine possible, I just don't know! All I know is how he felt ten years ago, and you shouldn't love just that. You need it all or nothing, settling for what this little part of Jareth can give you is not right. You would always be left wondering what might have been, and that would be wrong."

"Would it not be better to take what I have instead of risking losing it all if he doesn't care about me?"

"No. If he loves you then you will have everything, if he cares nothing for you then you will be free to go on with your life, to find what is waiting for you out there." He put his fingers under her chin and lifted her face up. "You must return to him, go back to the Underground, or call him to you, only then will you know which direction your life should go."

"And what of you?"

"If you release me then I will be rejoined with the rest of Jareth, and all of the experiences I have had through you will be shared with him. I will not wander alone and forlorn, do not fear that, but I will always be with you until you go back, and the loneliness of that is a hard one to bear."

"Hard for you?"

"And for you."

Jareth lowered his face to hers and laid a light kiss on her cheek. She watched him get up and move away, heading out across the park until he had faded from view. Slowly the children started their play again, the birds sang and the skies brightened. She thought over what he had told her, how she had to go back to Jareth, or call him to her, find what she needed. It could be that he was slightly batty from living in her head for so long and under such stresses, but she decided she should trust what he had said. He might be only part of Jareth, but he was from the realm of the Fae, and he knew a bit more about all this than she did.

She didn't stay in the park for long after that, she needed time to think and trying to do so in the bright sun amongst children and strolling couples wasn't going to work. Picking up her belongings she walked back to the house and called her boss to say she wasn't feeling very well. He gave her the rest of the day off, much to her relief, and told her to rest.

Later, after a light dinner with the couple she was renting from, she retired to her room to think long and hard. In her suitcase was her little music box, the one that played the song Jareth sang to her while they danced in the crystal ballroom, and now she took it out and placed it on the vanity. Resting her chin on her folded arms she watched the doll inside the glass spin to the music. Over and over she played it, over and over she thought about what she was going to do.

She was oblivious to the world around her, and was jerked back to reality with a shock when the clock outside her room chimed the hour. It was well past midnight.

Sighing, she looked into the vanity mirror and called to Hoggle. She had almost decided what to do, she just needed a few questions answered first.

"Sarah?" he appeared in the mirror. On his head was a dirty looking nightcap with a glittering ball of fuzz on the end of its long tail. She had disturbed his sleep.

"Oh, sorry Hoggle!" she apologized. "I can call back another time."

"Na, don't worry. I'll be up in a few hours anyway!" he took a mug and filled it with some dark brown liquid from a nearby keg. Sarah was guessing it was beer of some kind. "What is on yer mind?"

"I want to see Jareth." she got right down to the point. Hoggle spewed his drink all over the place.

"Ya want to see him?" he coughed, wiping the ale off his chin.

"If it helps I _need _to see him more than anything, and the sooner the better."

"Ah, ok." he looked confused. Why would anyone want or need to see that rat of a king? "What do ya need me for."

"I want to know the best way to see him. Should I wish myself away, or wish him here? How does one go about it?" she kept her voice down, careful not to disturb anyone.

"Don't wish yerself away! It would work, ya would get here just fine, but there are consequences to such an action. As for wishing him there, I don't have a clue if it would work. I think it best not to try, better not take chances." he downed what was left of his ale, and refilled the mug. "I say play it safe, send him a message."

"How?"

"What ya do is write it down on a piece of paper, or animal skin, or whatever ya have there to write on, and wish it too him. I would be careful though. Whenever someone wishes something to him it is best that he knows its comin' beforehand, otherwise he might blast it into Oblivion the second it appears. Kings have got ta do that sometimes, no telling who is wishing them what. Better be safe than sorry!"

Sarah didn't want there to be any misunderstanding between her and Jareth, things were tricky enough as it was, so she asked Hoggle if she could wish the messages to him so that he could give them to the King.

"That way there would be no chance of misunderstanding, or at least not much."

Hoggle seemed to think it was a good idea, so good that he drank another mug to toast it. "Ya just write that letter, and I'll rush it to the King, and maybe his time I will get to his room without so much of a fuss. Last time one of those stupid goblins opened up a trap door as I entered the throne room, just to see what would happen he later said, and I was dropped into an oubliette beneath the castle. Two days I spent tryin' to find the secret passage out! Though I didn't tell Jareth that I had been prevented from delivering yer message of good will for so long, no tellin' what he might have done!"

"Only the Bog, not so bad at all if you are already Prince of the Land of Stench!" Sarah teased him. Grumbling about being reminded of his princely state Hoggle told her to write the letter quickly and wish it along.

"Now goodnight! I gots to drink the fact that I'm a prince off my mind!" he waved his hand and disappeared. Sarah held her hand over her mouth as she laughed heartily and turned out her lights.

She didn't see the two glowing green eyes watching her through her window.


	8. Chapter 8

Jareth hadn't been so happy in his life. At one time he was sure that dancing with Sarah in the ballroom was to be forever the happiest moment he would ever know, but now it faded in comparison to the utter joy that flooded his heart.

"Sarah wants to see me!" he was singing to himself as he danced around his throne room, waving a letter around in the air, much to the amusement of the chickens that had found their way in. There were no goblins in at that time, they were all out at the pubs enjoying the local ale.

Hoggle had delivered the letter, written on a sheet of the crudest paper Jareth had ever seen, a short while before. Had there been something to tell who the letter was from he would have opened and read it instantly. But there was no signature, no telling who it came from, and so reading was delayed for a few moments.

"Well?" he held the letter with an air of total disinterest, looking down at the dwarf from his throne. "Who is it from?"

"Don't ya want to read that for yourself?" Hoggle asked, his feet shuffling with an irritating scratching sound on the stone floor. Jareth made a mental note to get a silencing rug for in front of his throne, he didn't like such disturbing sounds.

"Not really. Chances are it is from some nasty little goblin who is complaining about the weather, or the state of the roads, and he gave you good money to deliver it to me. Judging by the quality of the paper I would guess that it is from some commoner who picked it up out of the gutter and held it in front of a fire until the wrinkles went out of it." Jareth was in a bad mood, it could be plainly heard in his tone. He hadn't slept well the night before, his head was aching, and his lack of magic power was very distressing to him. To be sure, he was getting stronger, but it was taking such a horrible long time, and that dreadful fact made his spirits hang low.

"What would you say if I was to tell ya that it is from Sarah?"

"I would say that I hope you are telling the truth. I'm not in a forgiving mood today!" Jareth tapped the letter on his fingers, his eyes narrowed on Hoggle. "And what would you say to that?"

"Just open the darned letter. It really is from Sarah!" Hoggle rolled his eyes impatiently, wringing his hands together.

Jareth pursed his lips, still not sure if the dwarf was telling the truth, and carefully opened the letter. His eyes went from dark to glowing in an instant as he read the simple, yet elegant handwriting.

Hoggle walked around the throne and peeked over Jareth's shoulder to read the letter himself, unable to stand not knowing what it said. But the King didn't like anyone to read over his shoulder, and he quickly moved the letter to where Hoggle couldn't see it.

"Hemple, I have two eyes of my own, and with those I can see and comprehend quite nicely," he said in a calm and deliberate manner, as if he were talking to a child, glancing back over his shoulder as he did so. "Having two more makes it hard, and when those eyes are not my own it is downright impossible for me to concentrate. Kindly leave!"

Hoggle grumbled to himself as he got out from behind the throne and headed towards the exit. On reaching the archway he turned around and looked at Jareth, who was watching him closely.

"Would ya mind letting me read what the letter says, after ya are done? I mean, it wouldn't hurt for ya to have someone to cast a second opinion on the contents-"

"OUT!" Jareth shouted, and Hoggle scampered away down the hall. Shaking his blond head he returned to his letter.

'_Jareth,_

_This is Sarah._

_Please forgive my sending you a letter, but I thought it the best way to ask if I may return to the Labyrinth. There are a few things on my mind, things that concern you directly, that I need to talk to you about. I would write about them, but talking seemed to me to be the best way to go about it. Hoggle has kindly said he would be the go-between for us, he will deliver messages back and forth until we settle how all this is to be done, so please write me as soon as you can._

_I await your reply._

_Best wishes,_

_Sarah.'_

It was after he read the letter for the tenth time that he jumped out of his chair and proceeded to dance about the room, his heart light as a feather.

But he didn't dance for long. There was work to be done.

Jareth headed out of the throne room and went to his study, sat down at his favorite desk and proceeded to write a reply to her with a trembling hand. He had been coached in fine penmanship when he was a child, he prided himself in having one of the finest hands in the whole Underground, but he had to struggle hard to make his words legible that day. It took five pieces of paper and even more ink before he was satisfied that everything was as it should be.

"Hopple!" he shouted. The dwarf came running in so quickly that Jareth was sure he had been waiting outside the room for his call. But he was feeling more like his old self, and couldn't resist tormenting the ugly creature just a little. "You do take your time responding to your master's summons."

"Sir, I came as fast as I could!" he panted, his legs trembling under him. Jareth laughed at him, then waved his hand to silence further protesting.

"Never mind, Hedgewell!" he held his letter out to Hoggle, who didn't protest the improper calling of his name. "Take this to Sarah, and be quick about it! I don't want to waste a single moment. Well? GO!"

Left alone, Jareth conjured up three crystals and started juggling them. As they twirled around his fingers so did his mind start to twirl in his head. What did she want to talk to him about? What matter had she that concerned him?

And why was Hoggle taking so long to get back to him with Sarah's reply?

JSJSJS

Hoggle ran with the letter out of the castle. He went to the gardens, a place where he was supposed to be spraying for fairies that day, and took a little mirror out of his pocket. As he was unable to use the Eyes like Jareth did, he used his mother's old mirror as his window to Sarah's world.

"Sarah? Ya there?" he asked, running his fingers up and down the mirror's frame. Sarah soon appeared. She was sitting on the bed in her new room. It didn't suit her, he thought, it was not bright and cheery like the room she had left behind when she fled, but it was comfortable enough. It was better than an oubliette any day!

"Hoggle!" she jumped off the bed and sat in front of her mirror. "How did things go? You called so quickly that I'm fearing that things went horribly wrong. It has only been an hour!"

"Try three hours here! The King has spent so much time composing a letter it is a wonder that it got written at all!" Hoggle held up the letter and wished it away to her. It appeared in her hands a few seconds later. "That and he called me the worst name he has called me yet!"

"It wasn't filthy, was it?" she giggled.

"Filthy enough. Hedgewell!" he spat the name like it was a horrid taste in his mouth.

"Oh, Hoggle!" she was laughing outright. "That is so awful! It is worse than Hedgewart!"

"Why is it ya are the only one that calls me by my right name?" he looked to upset that she burst out laughing again.

"I didn't always. Remember when I called you Hogwart? Of course I was a little angry at the time and you were there to take it out on, so I'm not sure it counts."

"It is my lot in life to be there for people to take their frustrations out on, it seems. Never mind, I'm used to it!" he said, looking up at the sky. "Ya better read that letter, Sarah. Jareth is getting impatient, I can hear him shouting out goblin obscenities right now!"

"Ok, I'll read it. You just go and tell him that I'm thinking out my reply, I should be done reading by then." she blew him a kiss and faded from the mirror.

"Hedgely!" Jareth's voice boomed out from a window above.

"Just when I thought he had come up with the worst name ever, he does one even more horrible!" Hoggle jumped off his perch and ran back into the castle.

JSJSJS

Sarah looked at the letter in her hands. It was such fine paper, felt like silk but was stiff enough to be parchment, and the seal on the back was so lovely that she regretted having to break it. But, things wouldn't get done if she didn't move forward, so she took a hairpin and broke it open. As she unfolded the paper a light breeze blew from it, sending strong and soft scents all around her.

The penmanship was the finest she had ever seen, and the letter so simple that she wondered how it could have taken Jareth so long to compose it.

'_Dear Sarah,_

_I was pleased to receive your letter, and delighted that you wish to return to the Labyrinth. It would be an honor to have you here again, but due to certain circumstances I'm afraid it would be best if you didn't come here right now. Knowing that you wish to talk to me upon an important matter, and not wishing to keep you waiting for longer than necessary, might I propose a compromise? It is my suggestion that I come to the Aboveground and meet with you at a place of your choosing. I can stay there for perhaps a week, and I promise that nothing unpleasant will arise on my behalf or yours. _

_If this is agreeable to you, do let me know._

_I eagerly await your reply._

_Best wishes,_

_Jareth the Goblin King.'_

Sarah had never pegged Jareth for a gentleman before, he seemed to be too stuck up about himself to ever be considered as such, but now she had begun to change her mind. The letter was short and simple, yet she had the feeling that all that was said was kindly meant and filled with sincerity.

And the thought of meeting him in her world was something she was far more comfortable with. She was afraid that going back to the Labyrinth would stir up too many memories and cause things to be more difficult to talk about, but she hadn't thought he would go for it and so didn't ask. But his proposal was exactly what she wanted, and she was glad of it.

A little desk calendar sat on her dressing table. She flipped through it and quickly decided that the best time for them to meet would be that weekend. The elderly couple were going out of town to visit family and see their new great-grandchild, leaving her alone in the house. She also had no work on weekends, so she could stay home all day without raising questions.

Taking up her pen she scribbled a letter to Jareth informing him of her proposed plans. Hoggle was waiting for her when she called him, and she quickly wished the letter to him to give to the Goblin King.

Hoggle got back to her not long after and gave her Jareth's reply. It said that he found everything to his liking, and he would call on her early Saturday morning.

Sarah was singing to herself when she went to bed that night. It felt like things were finally starting to go right in her life.

She dreamed that night for the first time since she left home. She could see Jareth from time to time in the dream, and he was always smiling.


	9. Chapter 9

"Do you think this is suitable to the occasion, Hibble?" Jareth asked the dwarf as he stood in front of his full length mirror, taking a critical look at his outfit.

"Are ya asking me to be honest or say something to flatter your vanity?" Hoggle growled. Jareth had decided that since Hoggle was going to be courier to himself and Sarah that the dwarf should take a room in the castle and be as close to his majesty as possible at all times. This was all well and good, Hoggle got a nice place to call home, got good food and good service, but he would have traded it all if the King would only get his name right.

"Oh, grouchy today, are we?" Jareth cast a slightly evil grin at Hoggle. He was feeling more and more like his old self and was taking delight in his old teasing ways, and it was all thanks to Sarah. "Is it perhaps that you are jealous that a certain lady's attentions have been mainly on yours truly when they had been on yourself for so long?"

"Nothin' of the kind!" Hoggle growled again. "I am simply tired to death of the fact that you are always-"

"Oh, do stop complaining, Hemmworth. and answer my question!" Jareth cut him off. Hoggle glowered. "And please do so in an honest fashion. No one has ever... well, maybe once a long time ago... been truly honest with me, and I want to try it out concerning my outfit. Well?"

He turned around to let the dwarf see the whole thing in all its glory.

Glory, thought Hoggle, was not the right word at all. If anything the first thing that came to mind to describe the clothes Jareth had on right then was 'hideous.' The outfit consisted of lavender colored tights, a slightly darker shaded shirt that was tight rather than his normal flowing poets shirt, deep purple leather accessories, and a cloak of shiny grey that looked as if it had seen better days.

"Honestly, sire, I think ya look more like a rejected orphan goblin who has spent more time in a oubliette than in the sun!" Hoggle just let the words flow out of his mouth, and for once didn't consider any consequences. "Ya wanted honesty, so I gave ya honesty!"

Jareth was not used to having his wardrobe criticized, and even though he knew he got what he had asked for he was still a bit angry at Hoggle's bluntness. But he had been taking lessons in controlling his anger (Eddie had been a great help in that department) and didn't do the first thing that came into his mind: set Hoggle on fire.

"Well, I guess I asked for that!" he turned back and looked in the mirror again.

"Ya sure did." Hoggle nodded.

"Very well then." he tossed a crystal into the air and it came down on his head. In a flash he had changed into his simple brown leather jacket and usual tights. It was not as showy as he could have wished, for him going to meet people meant he dressed up in a stunning outfit, but he reminded himself that he was merely paying a social call, not paying the Fae Court a visit. "I suppose this will have to do then."

"Just so long as no one else see ya! Those mortals have a strange dress code, their clothes are most decidedly plain and ugly, but they are used to it. Seeing someone all done up like ya are might raise a few questions."

"Why, Heffdel!" Jareth looked at Hoggle in the mirror. "Since when have you become an expert in fashion?"

"Talkin' to Sarah helped me learn a great deal."

"You talked to her often, then?" he asked.

"As often as I could, though sometimes it seemed like ages between talks." he looked up and saw Jareth staring at him in a strange way. "What are ya staring at? Ya aren't the only one who missed her, ya know!"

"You knew that I missed her?" he was surprised, his left eyebrow raised upward.

"Um, yes." Hoggle realized he had let out a closely guarded secret. "I may not be very smart, but I know when someone is missing someone."

Jareth smiled, then looked over at his clock on the wall. "This has been a most interesting conversation, Hebble, but I have an appointment and cannot be late."

"I don't see why ya didn't want her to come here." Hoggle frowned.

"I'm not fully recovered from my years long ordeal, Hewgle. Those years of torment wore me down, and recovery has taken longer than I thought it would. It is dangerous enough for me to travel from the Underground to the Aboveground, it will take a good bit out of me to manage it, but I would rather risk myself going there than risk her coming here. You see?"

"That is the first time you have ever seemed to care about anyone but yourself, sire." Hoggle just had to say it.

"Ah, you grow bold! But I suppose you are right." he walked to the veranda. "It is called growing up, I think. I will return shortly."

He held his arms out and transformed into his owl form, took to the sky and flew out over the Labyrinth. He hadn't soared in a long time, but he wouldn't do it for long that day as he knew Sarah was waiting for him.

JSJSJS

Sarah got up earlier than usual that Saturday. All night she had dreamed of Jareth, and the moment she awoke she knew it would be useless trying to get back to sleep even though it was five in the morning. She threw back the covers and hopped out of bed, feeling like a child out of school.

The elderly couple had left the night before, so the whole house was at her disposal. They had taken such a liking to her, and her nature was such that they felt like she was a second daughter, and they trusted her to take care of things while they were away. At first they had worried that she was giving up her weekend to look after things, but she insisted that there was nothing and no one she needed to go out and see.

She said that with a laugh, knowing that Jareth would more than likely just appear in her room without knocking on the front door. She really had no need to go out and see him when he would come in and see her.

Sarah took a quick shower and got herself dressed to meet the King. All her clothes had gone so dark, almost everything was black or dark blue, nothing was what she wanted to wear to meet Jareth. All she could think was that she wished she had thought to go out and buy a nice dress when she had the chance, but it hadn't even entered her mind, so she was stuck with what was in the closet. In the end she settled on some dark blue jeans and a black tank top, and no makeup. All her horrible jewelry was stashed away in her vanity, she wouldn't be caught dead wearing it in front of Jareth.

Her stomach was doing flip flops so she couldn't get down anything more than a bowl of dried cereal, which she ate while combing out her long hair.

At last she was done, and all ready to meet the Goblin King. She didn't quite know how she felt about it, about meeting him again after so long. Part of her was sure that he would be just as she had been before, all full of himself and terrifying. But another part said that the last time she saw him was such a long time ago that he must have changed at least a little. Also, she wasn't trying to save her brother, she was seeing him to decide which way her life was to go. Did he love her, or did he not? Did she love him, or did she not? She hoped that this one meeting would clear up those two questions once and for all.

"But," she suddenly came up with two more questions that made her pause in mid step up the stairs to her room. "What if he loves me and I don't love him? Or if I love him and he doesn't love me?"

The thought that either of those possibilities existed made her stomach turn over anew. But the little voice of Jareth in her mind spoke up and calmed her.

"_Sarah, don't borrow trouble. If either of those questions is reality then you both will learn how to deal with it. You are not children, you know!" _he said. Her heart, which had been slamming against her ribs, slowed down to a calm beat.

"Thank you, voice!" she smiled, fancying he could see it.

"_You are most welcome."_ he said, and then was silent.

Sarah entered her room and went to the window, looked out on the early morning. It was so beautiful, the green trees and grass, birds singing and flying by. There was a dash of dew on everything, making it all sparkle and shine. She was reminded of how everything in the Labyrinth was covered in glitter, and looking back on it she saw the whole place in a different light. It was no longer the horrible trap that kept her from reaching her goals, instead it was a truly beautiful place, one like no other she knew of.

There sounded a light tapping on her door. Her heart jumped again, her breath came out shaky. It was Jareth, he was right behind the door, as was her whole future. Soon she would know which way her life was to go, with Jareth or without, and the thought both scared and exhilarated her at the same time.

Collecting herself she went to the door and laid her hand on the knob. A moment went by, she took a deep breath, and then turned the knob slowly. She looked straight ahead, and felt a smile form on her face, and pulled the door open.

Her smile vanished in an instant when she came face to face with Jake.

"Hello, precious!" his voice was more like the screech of a bird than human.

Sarah stumbled backwards into the room and away from him, and opened her mouth to scream, hoping that someone would hear her. But he moved quickly upon her, faster than she thought possible, and covered her mouth with his hand. She noticed how foul his skin smelled, so sour and rank it was more like a decaying corpse than living flesh.

"I'll have none of that, thank you very much. And, if you know what is good for you, you will keep your mouth shut until we get back home. Your whole life is waiting there for you!" he laughed. It was a cruel and heartless laugh, inhuman.

She tried to struggle out of his grip, but he was too strong and held her tight. But her pushing and shoving made progress forward very slow. She was hoping that Jareth would come and save her if she just kept them both there long enough.

"Well, you are being naughty!" he growled. The arm her had around her waist loosened and the hand came to rest on her left arm. "I don't like that. You will just have to sleep!"

She felt a sharp prick on her left arm, followed by a numbing sensation that went down to her fingertips and up towards her neck. Her foot kicked back and caught him on the shin. He howled in pain, and his hands released her. She charged for the stairs, hoping to make it to the front door and out of the house where hopefully someone would see her and save her, but she only made it a few steps before her knees buckled and sent her crashing down on the floor.

The numbness had completely immobilized her lower body, she couldn't even feel her legs, it was as if they had never been there, and the sensation quickly took over her other arm. Her fingers took hold of the edge of the top step and tried to pull her away from Jake, but they soon failed.

Then her vision started to go blurry, and her hearing failed. She couldn't even hear herself calling out for help, didn't know if she actually had. Her mind was drifting away, and though she tried hard to keep it focused it soon fell limp like her body.

As the last of her consciousness left her she had the vague sensation that she was being picked up and carried like a sack of bricks. In the back of her mind she knew she was returning to the nightmare she thought she had left forever.

* * *

_I just couldn't resist leaving this chapter off with a dark note! Hope y'all like it!_

_Please review, I just love it when you do:D  
_


	10. Chapter 10

_Ok, Grey Kindle, here is another chapter:D Things should start picking up soon, so just sit tight!_

_Thanks for the reviews!  
_

* * *

When Jareth entered the Aboveground he was still in his owl form. He thought it would be best to find Sarah's bedroom window and wait until she noticed him, then go where no one would see him change into his human form and then knock on the door like a civilized person. He was surprised that he was behaving in such a way when the norm would have been for him to burst in without a second thought.

"_You are doing it for her." _Sarah's little voice sounded in his mind. She hadn't been around much lately, much to his relief, but at times she did pop up with a word or two for him. Surprisingly they were normally words of wisdom, not something snotty and childish.

"I guess that goes to show what love can do to a person. Makes the best men into fools!" he thought back, more as a joke than anything.

"_Or turns the fools into better men!" _she laughed back, silencing him from further retorts.

Now, as he perched in the tree outside her window he was wondering if he had been right all along, that love did turn the best men into fools. He had been perched in that particular branch for a whole hour and Sarah hadn't shown herself at all. He doubted that she was even home as everything was so quiet. Or she was laying on a couch where he couldn't see her, laughing at him.

After a while he grew angry as questions raced through his mind. Had she forgotten about their appointment? Had she decided not to go through with it? Had she any intention of seeing him in the first place? Had she planned this all along as a spiteful joke?

"And I thought she had learned a thing or two when she ran the Labyrinth!" he growled to himself. He was very angry and very hurt, convinced that she had left him out there on purpose, and decided to leave. He spread his wings and took off into the air, intent on leaving the Aboveground and never coming back even if she did call on him again.

But then his anger got in the way of his better judgment. Letting out a livid roar he turned around and headed right back to the house. If she thought she was going to get the last laugh then she was wrong! He would make her pay for treating him like this!

He would not play the fool!

Down he soared right towards her window, gaining speed as he did so. At the last second he stuck his talons out in front of him, letting them collide with the glass, shattering it all over the room inside. He then perched on the sill and turned himself back into his human form, not caring if anyone saw him do so. They wouldn't know what to make of it anyway!

His mismatched eyes flashed over the small but clean room. Sarah had been there not long before, he could see the signs of habitation. Swinging his legs onto the floor he stood up to his full height and walked over the broken glass, crushing it underfoot.

"Sarah!" he shouted. He listened for some sound to let him know she was there, but heard none. His foot struck out and connected with her suitcase at the end of the bed, sending it against the wall so hard it shattered the lock and caused the lid to fall open. "I'm in no mood for these games!"

He grabbed the door knob and pulled it without turning it first. The door and door jamb shattered and sent splinters all over the place, but he didn't care one bit. "Do I have to destroy the whole house before you will come out and confront me? If so then you are a bigger coward than I ever thought possible!"

His shouts echoed through the hall, causing the pictures on the walls to shake slightly. He sent a fist through one and into the wall, leaving a large dent in it, then continued down towards the stairs.

It was there that he made a heart stopping discovery.

Down the stairs, staining the grey carpet, were several large drops of blood. The trail went on to the main hall and stopped at the front door. Jareth swallowed on a suddenly dry throat, all his anger gone and replaced with concern and dread.

"Sarah?" he called out, stepping down each step on tip toe till he had reached the bottom. "Please tell me you are here!"

No answer again. He suppressed a shudder and went to the nearest door, opening it carefully this time, and searching the room within.

It took him only a few moments to search the whole house, but he didn't find her anywhere. Everything was empty.

He went back and looked at the blood. It was still wet. All of it had soaked into the carpet except for one small droplet that nearly escaped his sharp eyes. He dabbed the tip of his gloved forefinger in it and held it up close to his eye. Looking at it carefully he saw something that a normal mortal would have missed: a slight green shimmer.

His heart raced in his chest, knowing all too well what that shimmer meant, and he quickly looked at the room around him. A crystal appeared in his hand and he threw it up in the air. It brushed the ceiling and then burst like a bubble, sending a shower of glitter all over the place. The blood stains in the carpet dried and disappeared, and all returned to the way it was before.

Without a sound he stood up and ran up the stairs, throwing another crystal behind him as he dashed through. It too burst and set everything to rights. In Sarah's room, just as he prepared another crystal, he noticed a book sitting beside the bed. It was 'The Labyrinth', her most treasured book. He picked it up and ran his gloved hands over the cover. He could feel her presence resonating from the novel. She had read it often and quite recently.

He stuffed the book in his shirt and tossed the last crystal into the air. All her clothes and personal items disappeared, he left no trace that she had ever been there.

He changed to his owl form, and flew out the window, closing it as he did so. A wave of his wing sent a large crystal flying out to the house. Once there it split into two spheres, one remained and the other flew out towards the town. They would do their job, which was to erase everyone's memory of the girl called Sarah. He couldn't let any trace of her remain in that town lest there be questions asked later on.

JSJSJS

"That was quick, majesty!" Sir Didymus said when he King returned in a flurry of wings and feathers. He had made guarding the castle his personal duty while Jareth was away, and marched back and forth by the front door proudly, his little chest puffed out and sword drawn.

Jareth didn't say anything right away. He looked out to the city, at all the creatures that ran about on their business, his brow creased in fear and concentration. He turned back to Sir Didymus and took the novel out of his shirt, handed it to the brave knight.

"Sir, this is the lady's property!" he said, though his words carried more a hint of question than an accusation.

"Sir Didymus, summon Hoggle and Ludo to my chambers. We must hurry, time is of the essence! GO NOW!" he barked, though not loud enough for anyone but the knight to hear.

Without a word Sir Didymus rode off to do the Kings wishes. He had noticed that the King called Hoggle by his proper name, and while he didn't know exactly what it meant, he had a feeling that it bespoke of a horrible disaster that was likely to take place.


	11. Chapter 11

_Thanks to all for their reviews:) _

_Sorry it took a while to get the next chapter up! I hope you like this one, things are about to start happening... but not the way you would expect..._

* * *

Sarah opened her eyes and looked around. She recognized the place as her room, everything was just the way she had left it, except the window had been boarded up, leaving only a few slivers of light for illumination.

Slowly she turned on her side. She ached all over, as if her whole body had been hit by something hard. The very bones hurt, and moving was made even harder by her lack of energy. But she forced herself to sit up, hoping the grogginess and nausea would go away. Her arm hurt where Jake had stuck her with something to make her sleep, and she saw that there was a deep cut there too.

She went back in her mind to the day before, or at least she assumed it had been the day before, when Jake had found her. How he had was beyond her, she had been so careful to make sure she couldn't be found.

And why did he want her back? He could have easily found someone else to beat like a punching bag, or he could have just killed her when he found her. Bringing her back didn't make sense unless he was a complete psychopath whose only focus in life was to torture her until there was nothing left.

Such was not an impossibility, she realized. Many people had gone through what she had, and there were many such people as Jake who took delight in hurting others. But she couldn't understand why he had suddenly started treating her like an animal. He hadn't been kind to Karen or Toby, but he had never raised a hand to them at all. It was after they left that he started beating her, and she didn't know why.

Looking back over the years she decided that it just didn't make any sense at all. So many things didn't add up, and she couldn't find any links between them. Just trying to think about them gave her a headache and she had to stop.

Slowly her bedroom door started opening. Instinctively she moved away from it and bunched herself up on the bed, drawing her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. Tears of fear stung her eyes when Jake stepped into the room, and she pressed herself against the wall. She felt like an animal, trying to hide and remaining quiet in hopes that the hunter wouldn't notice her.

"Sarah." he said. His voice was so different than it had been before. She felt a hand touch her elbow, and she drew away, trembling. "You must leave, now!"

"Don't torment me!" she cried, ducking her head so far down that her neck ached. "If you are going to beat me then just do it, don't play games!"

"This is not a game." his pulled her arms from around her knees and took her hands in his. She shuddered, but didn't resist him. "Sarah, please listen to me and go now!"

"Why? You brought me back here, why should I run away again?" Sarah's eyes were red from the hot tears. "You enjoy the hunt? You love to sport before you kill?"

"No, no, Sarah." his voice was soft, like it had been when she was young, but there was an edge of panic to it. "There is not much time, you must get away before he comes back!"

"What are you talking about?"

"My darling, there is no time for questions!" he pulled her to her feet. "Just run as fast as you can, and don't come back."

Sarah didn't know what to think. Her mind was being logical, telling her to get away before he could hurt her again. But her instincts were telling her that there was something horribly wrong, something going on she didn't understand. And her heart was telling her to stay there, stay with her father, and not leave him.

Pulled and twisted every way she didn't know what to do.

A bright flash of light lit up the room. Sarah looked towards the source, her vanity mirror, and saw Sir Didymus. "Sarah? I can see her! She is not blocked from my sight! My Lady, ist thou alright?"

"I'm fine, for now." She looked at her father, half expecting him to do something violent, but he just stood there watching the strange creature in the mirror.

"My Lady, ye are in danger!" his voice was shrill, on the verge of panic.

"My father told me, but he didn't tell me what from."

"From the demon! Ye are in great danger from a horrible demon!"

"What demon? What are you talking about?"

"There is no time to explain now, King will be able to tell ye everything later. But for now ye must do as I say! Ye must-"

The sound of a vicious wind suddenly crashed into the house, making everything shake as if hit by an earthquake. There was a deafening howl that shattered all the glass in the house, including the mirror, cutting Sir Didymus off before he could finish what he was saying.

The little slivers of light on the floor dimmed, leaving the room in complete darkness. Sarah could feel her heart lurch in terror and she started trembling. She felt her father move closer to her, as if to protect her. But she had a feeling that it was going to take more than a mortal man to protect her.

"Demon? What did he mean?" she asked, somehow knowing her father knew what Sir Didymus was talking about, her voice strangely calm and quiet. He drew her to him, holding her tightly in his arms.

"The demon that has had a hold on me for the last ten years." he said. "The demon that has killed me."

* * *

_Didn't expect that twist in the story, do you? I love doing unexpected twists, keeps things interesting!_


	12. Chapter 12

_Here it is, another chapter! This one should help explain a few things:)_

_Thanks to everyone for their comments! Grey Kindle and Ariena-Rose, this one is for you!  
_

_Enjoy!  
_

* * *

"Wait a darn minute!" Hoggle stood in the King's chambers, his hands on his hips. Jareth looked down at him. "Are ya sayin' what I think yer sayin?"

"If you wouldn't interrupt me then you just might find out, Hoggle!" he snapped.

"Please, go on your Majesty!" Sir Didyums pleaded in a shrill voice.

"Sarah is in grave danger, and I know from what." Jareth looked at the three before him, waiting for them to jump in and ask some stupid question. When they didn't he went on. "She is being held by a Possessor, and I think I know why."

Hoggle and Sir Didymus looked horrified and concerned, but Ludo didn't understand what was so wrong, and said so.

"A Possessor is a demon that takes over whoever and whatever it has to in order to reach it's goal. They are very nasty, very cunning, and very deadly." Jareth explained carefully for the giant to understand.

"Sawah possessed?" he looked terrified at the thought.

"No, she is not, but someone close to her is." Jareth crossed his arms over his chest and started pacing the room in big strides.

"And ye say ye might know why, sire?" the knight asked.

"I have a good guess." he stopped and looked across the room at a blank wall. "It wants to use her to get to the Underground."

"But, sire, that makes no sense! All a Possessor has to do is cross through one of the Gates and it would be here. And what could Lady Sarah possibly have that it could possibly need by way of getting here?"

Jareth sighed heavily. By his stance it looked as if he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders.

"I need to tell you a story that would make everything clear to you." Jareth motioned all of them to sit down, and they did so on whatever was handy. Ludo sat on the Royal bed, but Jareth didn't take notice. "Long ago, when I was a young ruler, I was threatened by a Possessor called Scorpius. He wanted my kingdom, and did horrible damage to this part of the Underground trying to achieve his goal, damage that has only recently, within the last two hundred years, been repaired. I fought him with all I had, but was only slightly stronger than him. He was hurt too badly to fight back, but I too was injured beyond the ability to finish him. The best I could do was to send him to the Aboveground, stripped of most of his powers, and make it where he couldn't get back by normal means. I didn't think he would survive long in the Aboveground. Possessors feed off of the magical currents of the Underground, and I thought that he would... starve, for lack of a better word, when he was there. I underestimated his strength, he found a way to survive up there, and is now using Sarah to get into the Underground once again."

"But how could she help him?" Hoggle asked.

"He must have known that she was here once before, that she knew of the Labyrinth, else he wouldn't have picked her. I made it so he couldn't wish himself back here, but he is most likely trying to get her to wish him back, as that is the only way here I can't block."

"Why?" Ludo asked. Jareth looked at the gentle giant and sighed. He really was a stupid creature, but there was an endearing quality about him that made Jareth keep his temper in check.

"If I blocked it then there would be no way for the wished away children to get here." he explained patiently.

"Ah, not good thing!" Ludo nodded.

"There is a way that I could capture and hold Scorpius prisoner if she were to wish him here, but I would need time to prepare the spell. I would need to be ready and waiting with it and she would need to know to wish him away. But I can't reach her to tell her what needs to be done, not with that demon around."

"So, that is why you haven't been able to see her!" Eddie came in through the door, wormed his way right into the center of the group. Jareth realized that he should have called Eddie there in the first place, but it hadn't even entered his mind.

"Yes. With the Possessor around I can't see her. He has thrown up a fog to blind my Eyes. And whenever I tried to go to her I would be sent somewhere else. I was lucky I wasn't killed, really." he took a few steps to stand right in front of the odd assortment of creatures. "I gave up trying to see her, gave up trying to go to her. I thought she was blocking me, as she has powers of her own, I never once thought that Scorpius was there causing all of this."

Everyone was stunned into silence. Was the King really admitting that he had been in error?

"And what can we do?" Hoggle asked at last, his eyes filled with worry.

Jareth paced the room again, mind darting back and forth trying to find a way to help Sarah before it was too late. He was sure that Scorpius was desperate to get back to the Underground, else he wouldn't have left traces of a struggle at the place she had sought refuge, and that made him a greater threat. Like all Possessors he was wiling to gamble to reach his goal, and at stake was Sarah's life.

And Jareth was blocked at every turn.

"I honestly don't know what to do." he said at last, much to the shock of everyone in the room. A deathly silence fell over the little group as they all looked at each other. Never had they all felt so lost, so helpless, not knowing what to do to save Sarah.

Hoggle, his eyes filled with tears, went quietly out of the room, and Sir Didymus followed close behind. The two made their way to the throne room and sat around a large keg of ale, though neither of them felt like drinking any of it.

"I should have told Jareth about what was happening to her when I first found out." Hoggle said at last. Sir Didymus looked over at him, the plume on his hat drooping low as if mimicking his mood.

"Of what speaketh thou?" he asked.

Hoggle told him everything he knew about Sarah and what had happened to her. He was glad to tell someone, holding onto it had been getting harder and harder, and he didn't know how much longer he would have been able to hold it in.

"Ye were bound to secrecy by the Lady Sarah, and ye behaved most honorably." the knight said comfortingly. "There is no crime in what thou hast done, feel not angry with thyself."

"I can't help it." Hoggle sniffed. "If I had told someone then she might not be in danger right now. Maybe Jareth would be able to go there and help her if only I had told him!"

Sir Didymus's tail perked up suddenly, and his one eye started glowing. He had been struck with an idea. "The King cannot help Our Lady, he is blocked from going to her aid. But what of us? Can we not go there and render assistance?"

"I don't know." Hoggle tapped his fingers on his knee. "I have tried to reach her, but now all I can see is fog. I was guessing that he has blocked us all now."

"It could be so, but I am an optimist!"

"Thats the understatement of the year!" Hoggle groaned.

"The way I see it is this: Ye could see her in your mirror when Jareth couldn't see her with the Eyes. Yes?"

"Yeah..." he drew out the word slowly.

"Then perhaps it means that he can only block those he knows of that know Lady Sarah!" Sir Didymus said as if it explained everything, and he couldn't hide the note of triumph in his voice. Hoggle just looked at him blankly, so the knight went on quickly and energetically.

"The way I see it, Brother Hoggle, if he knew that she had run the Labyrinth, which is the only reason he has chosen her as his victim, then he would have known that Jareth had gotten to know her. He was then able to block him to keep him from going to help her."

"Yes, and?"

"But, does he know about us?"

"How should I know?" Hoggle was growing frustrated, and hit his forehead with his fist. Why couldn't the knight just explain it simply? He was beginning to see where he was going with his reasoning, at least he thought he was, but it was slow to sink in. Perhaps, he told himself, he should have taken those lessons on magic when he was in school.

"Try the mirror again!" he yanked it out of Hoggle's pocket and thrust it into his hands. The dwarf rolled his eyes, but did as he was told. All he got was blank fog.

"So, if I understood what ya said, and if yer guess is correct, then Scorpius must know about me now, and he has made it where I can't see her."

"Ah ha! You have caught hold of my theory!" Sir Didymus grabbed the mirror and held it up in his little furry hands. "But does he know of me? I haven't seen her in many a year as my duties took me far away, so perhaps he knows not that a Knight of The Goblin King's Realm is a friend to the Lady!"

"But this is all theory. What if ya are wrong? Or what if he knows about ya?"

"Then all I will see is blank fog. We must hope that neither case is true, Hoggle, for if it is then I know not what we shall do."

Hoggle watched the mirror as the knight called Sarah's name, holding his breath. It was a tense few seconds for him, seconds that seemed to last for hours, and the pressure built up to be almost unbearable until he saw blank fog fill the reflective surface. His heart shattered at the sight, there was no hope for Sarah now.

But Sir Didymus yapped out in delight. "I can see her! She is not blocked from my sight!"

Relief crashed down on Hoggle like a tidal wave, and he fell over on his side. He didn't pass out, but his heart was pounding wildly and vision was swimming, so he just remained there while he listened to Sir Didymus's half of the conversation.

"My Lady, ist thou alright?... My Lady, ye are in danger... From the demon! Ye are in great danger from a horrible demon!... There is no time to explain now, The King will be able to tell ye everything later. But for now ye must do as I say! Ye must wish the goblins to come and take the demon away- My lady?" Sir Didymus saw cracks form over the image of Sarah, and then shatter. He shook the mirror and called for Sarah several times. "I have lost contact, it looks as if her mirror has broken. I must try and get to her!"

"Ya are going to her?" Hoggle asked as the knight picked up his sword and pulled his little hat over his head. He had gotten to his feet, but swayed slightly.

"She is in danger, and I vowed to defend her in her time of need."

"But what if ya are blocked now? What then?"

"It will take more than a demon to stop me from reaching her side! Ye must tell The King of where I have gone, perhaps I can hold the demon at bay for long enough for him to prepare the spell."

"But how will ya know when she should wish him away? If ya do it too soon-" he left the rest unsaid.

"My friend, though I am a very successful soldier I know that I didn't survive every battle just because of my great talent with the sword. There was a certain amount of... luck involved." Hoggle couldn't believe he was hearing such a thing from the proud little knight. "I will just have to rely on that luck, and hopefully it will prove to be a lady tonight. And don't ye tell anyone of my great admission! It wouldn't do to let it get out and circle around the Underground."

"Cross my heart!"

Sir Didymus laid his hands on Hoggle's shoulders. "My Brother, this may be our last meeting, for on this day I will very likely lay down my life for Lady Sarah. Weep not for me should anything happen, for I died doing my sworn duty, and when the time comes comfort all who may mourn me with that knowledge."

"Sure, right." Hoggle got all choked up, and the best he could do was to pat the knight on the shoulder. Though the knight was one of the more annoying creatures he had ever met, and was downright hard to understand at times, he loved him as if he really were his brother.

"It has been the greatest honor to know ye, brave Hoggle!" he smiled, and then stood to attention. "Away to the aid of My Lady Sarah!" he stamped his foot on the stone floor, and vanished in a flash of light.

"Bye, Brother." Hoggle waved, not knowing what else to do. Tears welled up in his eyes again, but he forced them away quickly. Who was he kidding? That crazy knight was coming back! It would take more than a demon to kill him!

* * *

_I'm working on the next chapter and will have it ASAP. I promise fans will not be cheated out of a show of great bravery from Sir Didymus!_


	13. Chapter 13

_I spent all of my weekend trying to get this chapter done, and I have succeeded! This is a long chapter, hope everyone enjoys:)  
_

_Thanks to Grey Kindle and Ariena-Rose, y'all have just been wonderful!  
_

_And Dragones, there will be no need to throw me into the Bog:D  
_

* * *

"Killed you? What do you mean?" why was everything such a muddle? Sarah felt her mind going in circles trying to make some sort of sense out of everything.

"I'm dying, Sarah. That demon has taken everything out of me, I don't have much time left. The only thing that is keeping me going is the need to make sure you are safe." he kissed the top of her head. "And I don't know if I will live long enough to be sure."

"But – but..." she stammered, a fresh wave of tears stinging her eyes. Why, just when she had found her father after so long, was she about to lose him? "It isn't fair!"

"It never is, but that is how it is." he tightened his arms around her. She could feel him trembling, as if the effort to hold her was too great for him to take.

"Dad? Why did he pick you? Of all the millions of people in the world, why you?"

"I'm not sure. I tried to find out, but-" he gasped and clutched his heart as his legs giving out under him. Sarah instantly tightened her arms and kept him from falling to the floor.

"What is it?" she moved him quickly over to the bed and sat him down.

"It's him!" he wheezed, falling over on his side.

Sarah fumbled around in the dark by her vanity for a box of matches she knew she had left there, knocking several things off onto the floor as she did so. At last her fingers felt the box, and she struck one quickly. The little flicker cast just enough light for her to find her little oil lamp, which sat beside her bed, but she had to strike a second one to set the wick burning. The globe was nothing more than a few hundred shards of glass so the light was not so bright as it would have otherwise been, but it was enough to let her see.

She knelt down beside her father and looked at his face. It was drawn and pale, the cheeks were sunken and the eyes hollow. He was no more than a shadow of the man he used to be. "What can I do? I have to do something to help you!"

"Run! Get out before-" he started coughing, and a dark liquid dripped from the side of his mouth. Sarah knew it was blood, wiped it away without a second thought.

The wind that had been howling around the house stopped suddenly, leaving everything deathly quiet. Sarah's ears had ached from the sound, but the silence was even worse. It felt menacing, like the calm before a storm, a storm that was ready to strike and tear apart anything in it's path. She looked around her at the dimly lit room, at all the dark corners, watching for something to come out of them.

"Dad, can you stand on your own?" she looked back to him. A change had come over his face, a horrible change that she knew all too well. "No!" she exhaled sharply.

"Yes, daughter dearest!" his hand tried to grab her wrist, but she moved away too quickly for him. He slowly stood up, groaning at the effort. "Your father's body is dying, not good for me at all. Even though I have control of him I still can't make him move as fast as I would like. The dying and dead have a power of their own."

Without warning he struck out at her with his fist. Sarah screamed and lurched to her right and out of his path. She landed on the bed, and as she kicked herself away from him her foot caught on the lamp, knocking it onto the floor. The oil spilled out, and the burning wick lit it off. Flames licked at the dust ruffle on the bed and the curtains, catching them quickly.

Jake backed away from the flames, covering his face with his hands. He was crying out in terror, and then it turned to cries of pain when his pant leg caught. Sarah moved to help her father, but the little voice in her head warned against it.

"_He is not your father! Saving his body would only aid the demon!" _it said. She wanted to thrust it out of her mind, but she knew it was telling the truth. Her heart ached at the sight of her father's body writhing in the flames, but she heeded the voice and made no move towards him. _"Do as your father said! Run while you have a chance!"_

From below she heard someone shouting in a shrill voice. "My Lady! Where ist thou? My Lady!" She knew it could only be Sir Didymus.

"_Go!" _her inner Jareth commanded.

Sarah tore her eyes away from her father, rolled off the foot of the bed, somehow landing on her feet, and charged out the bedroom door, which was still open from when her father had entered. Ignoring the screams coming from behind her she ran down the hall towards the stairs. Smoke was already filling the house, making it hard to see and breathe, but she didn't stop.

"Sir Didymus!" she shouted as she neared the top of the stairs. "I'm here!"

"My Lady!" he looked up at her, his tail wagging wildly. "Where is thy father?"

"It has him again!" she answered, coughing into her hands. She was just starting down the stairs. "The demon!"

"MY LADY! LOOK OUT!" the knight screeched.

Sarah had begun to turn around when she was hit from behind by a powerful force. She lost her balance and tumbled forward into midair. Her hands reached out wildly, trying to grab onto anything that would stop her fall, but there was nothing. A scream caught in her throat as she crashed down the stairs. She closed her eyes to avoid seeing the world spin around her as she rolled.

At last she came to a stop. She knew what had just happened, but her mind wasn't able to take it all in. There was a terrible pain in her ankle, it felt broken, but even that didn't quite seem real. Nothing around her seemed real, not even the green cloud heading down at her.

"GrrrrrrAHHHH!" Sir Didymus launched himself with a fierce cry at the cloud, drawing his sword and bringing it down hard right in the heart of the thing. It let out a cry and moved away, between the wooden pieces of the handrail and into the main hall. "If ye want the Lady, then ye must first go through me!"

A chuckle came from the cloud. "Another friend to the mortal wench! I had no idea she had made so many when running the Labyrinth. Ah, well, another difficulty to be overcome before reaching my goal! On guard, Sir Knight!"

JSJSJS

"He WHAT?" Jareth shouted at Hoggle as he ran from his chambers and down the hall. The dwarf followed, though he couldn't keep up.

"He has gone to protect Sarah and buy ya enough time to prepare the Prison Spell, or whatever the heck it is ya calls it!" Hoggle shouted after him.

Jareth had gone to his study and was ripping books off the shelves by the time Hoggle had gotten there. There were papers everywhere, the inkwell was upset, and in the middle of it all was the Goblin King, ransacking the place like a blond haired fury. "How long has he been gone?"

"Not long, I went directly to ya after he left. What are ya doin'?"

"The little fool has launched his plan and I have no choice but to try and make my end of it work!" he growled, pulling a huge and dusty book off the topmost shelf. It looked to weigh about fifty pounds, but he handled it like it was an ordinary sized booklet, whipping the pages open rapidly and searching for what he needed. "Here it is!" he ran over to the desk and wiped his arm over it, knocking everything onto the floor with a loud crash, and then dropped the massive book down on the polished wood surface with a loud THUMP. He bent over and read the spell quickly but thoroughly.

"How long will it take ya, Jareth?" Hoggle was wringing his hands. Jareth looked up at him, his mismatched eyes flashing like lightning.

"Not long if I have you to help me, do EXACTLY what I say, and don't ask ANY questions whatsoever! You understand me?" he glared at the dwarf, who nodded his head solemnly and firmly.

"I will do what ever ya tell me ta do."

"Good." he said, and took a silver key out of his desk. "Take this and go over to that wall, you will find a knot in the wood, use it there and a secret panel will open up. Inside there will be a sack and several bottles. I will read the list of potions I need, and you will take each one and put it in the sack. I will not repeat a potion, there is no time, so get it right!"

Hoggle swallowed on a dry throat and went to the wall, used the key exactly where Jareth said, and the wall slid open. He felt like screaming when he saw that there were several bottles, several HUNDRED to be exact, lined up on shelves that reached the ceiling, each one colored and glowing with its own internal light. The good thing was that each was labeled carefully and all were arranged alphabetically, the bad thing was that Hoggle couldn't read very well.

"Get me the Clairyum." Jareth called from across the room. Hoggle glanced over his shoulder and saw that the Goblin King was in another hidden wall panel, one filled with another even larger assortment of potions, only they were glowing with a very harsh light that made his eyes water.

Hoggle crossed his fingers and went back to his schooldays. He could remember bits of his alphabet, and could remember the sounds associated with those letters, and he desperately tried to put it to use. The letter 'C' was one he knew well, so he hunted it down fairly quickly. It was blue, and near his level, so he grabbed it and dropped it in the bag.

"Flavglare, Garbodous, Hectius, and Krinchnar." he called again. Hoggle frowned and looked at the King. He was at the top of a ladder, bag on arm, book in one hand and the other was pulling a bottle of bright pink liquid off a shelf.

"Flavglare!" Hoggle sighed, looking again. A ladder suddenly dropped from the ceiling, nearly hitting him. He looked up, startled, and noticed that one of the potions was pulsing light then dark. He climbed the ladder, reminding him of the time he and Sarah had climbed one just after outrunning the Cleaners, and got to eye level with the potion. He could make out the letters 'f', 'a', 'v', and 'r'. "Ya must be the right one, ya has got to be!" he grabbed it and stuffed it in his vest before sliding back down for the sack.

"Luvitus, and Margok." Jareth called again, moving away from the shelves and to his desk.

Hoggle panicked, he had only gotten two of the seven needed. His mind was unusually sharp, he remembered all the names, so he rattled them off aloud. Four more bottles started pulsing, three of which were at the bottom, and he quickly stuffed them in the sack. For the other one he raced to the top of the ladder and added it to the little collection just as Jareth came running over.

"Good boy, Harold!" he said, ripping the sack from Hoggle's arm and hanging it with his own. "Now, I have a few vials of powder on the desk, get those for me, and then come to the throne room. My bag is too full to carry them, before you ask!"

Hoggle, exhausted from running up and down the ladder, took the short way down from the top by falling. He was a tough dwarf, and didn't break anything upon landing on his side, but he would be lying if he said it didn't hurt. All he wanted to do was lay down and sleep, it was nearly midnight after all, but he forced himself on. Sarah was far more important than sleeping.

Jareth prepared himself for casting the spell. He had poured the proper measures of each required potion into the pit in the middle of the throne room, and as Hoggle entered he was memorizing the right words to be spoken. Reading them from a book wouldn't work, one had to speak them from memory, else there was no power in them.

"Ah, just it time!" he said, his brow creased in concentration. Hoggle stood beside him, his little arms holding a multitude of vials. Jareth took a dram measure and handed it over, much to Hoggle's dismay. "Measure out one dram of each powder and drop it in the pit. Hurry, but be careful!"

Sighing heavily the dwarf laid down the vials and began tossing the required amounts into the pit. He didn't know why, but the thought of using the fire pit for mixing together a prison potion just seemed wrong. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that he had many happy memories of roasting apples and little berries over that very same pit, or dancing around it during parties.

"It just ain't right!" he whispered to himself.

"What was that, Whopple?" Jareth didn't look away from his massive book.

"Nothin'."

"Alright, I'm ready." he said, laying the book on his throne. "But first we need to check and be sure that all the potions and powders are here, else this won't work."

Hoggle lined up all the bottles and vials, labels visible, and let Jareth go over them. He didn't trust himself with the task.

"Wait, there is one missing." Jareth ran his finger over one item in the list. "Luvitus. Did you forget it?"

"Um..." Hoggle thought back, and remembered. As he had spoken the names of the last five potions only four had lit up. He knew he hadn't forgotten to say Luvitus. "It wasn't there! I know it wasn't!"

Jareth felt a weight pressing on him, and a horrible feeling of disaster rose up in his stomach. He took a shaky breath and leaned back against his throne, resting his head in his hands. "Its my fault, Hoggle. I should have remembered that it wasn't there." his voice was low and soft.

"Jareth?" a light and gentle voice came from the entrance arch of the room. His head shot up, knowing that voice anywhere, and saw a slender and tall figure, clad in a pearly white cloak with the hood up, walk swiftly and gracefully into the room.

"Rosalinda! What do you here?" he asked, standing up straight and tall.

"I came to give you this." she pulled her hands out from under the cloak and held out a bottle filled with a deep purple potion. Jareth laid his gloved hands along hers and she released the bottle into them. "Eddie told me what you were going to do. You may have forgotten you used the last of Luvitus in your collection, but I didn't. I knew you would need it."

Jareth smiled, a ray of hope burning in his eyes. "I can never repay you for this, Rosalinda."

"There will never be a need." she smiled gently, and moved to stand behind him.

Jareth took the bottle and poured all the contents into the pit. All the potions and powders started glowing and forming into a colorful crystal sphere.

"We are ready here. Now it only remains for Sarah to wish Scorpius here, and for me to set the spell upon him." he looked at Hoggle, Rosalinda, and at Ludo, who had entered a moment before but stood out of the way in an alcove. "Let us pray that this works!"

JSJSJS

Sir Didymus had never fought with such determination in his life. He had witnessed many battles, had taken part in many duels (all of which he had won, save the one with Ludo) and had fought to uphold the honor of himself and his King and kingdom more times than anyone but himself could count, but all faded in comparison to the fact that he was laying his life on the line for Lady Sarah.

"Demon, I will make ye pay dearly for what thou hast done to the Lady!" Sir Didymus was jumping around, waving his sword and slashing savagely at the green cloud.

"But not so much as I will make Jareth pay for what he did to me!" he circled around and struck out with a bolt of lightning. But the knight was fast and careful, dodged it easily, and rolled under Scorpius, bringing his sword up through him.

"If ye have a quarrel with the King, then take it up with that same person! Do not harm one for what another hast done to thee!" he yanked the sword through the side of the cloud, making the demon roar in pain.

"But if that person has kept me blocked from reaching him then I am well within my rights to take things out on his Champion!" he lashed out and caught Sir Didymus on his side, sending him flying across the room and crashing into a wall.

But the knight was exhilarated from the battle and bounced back like a spring. "I had expected more of a challenge from such a feared demon, Scum Scorpius!" he danced gracefully across the floor, sword slashing again and again.

Scorpius grew angry at the feisty little fox who called himself 'Sir', and started attacking faster and faster, though it was difficult for him. His powers were weak, and trying to move quickly took a great deal of concentration. But he wanted the pest out of the way, and he was willing to do many hard things to make it happen.

Sir Didymus fought on and on, never missing a chance to stab the demon, never getting caught unawares by him. But he couldn't keep on forever, and soon his arm started to ache from holding and thrusting the sword, and the demon started getting through his guard. He threw out little lightning strikes that met their mark more frequently, and he started moving in on what he hoped would be his next victim.

But then Sir Didymus felt a light tingling sensation on the back of his neck, making the hairs stand up on end. Lady Luck was telling him it was time to wish the demon away, Jareth was waiting for him in the Underground.

"Luck is a Lady indeed!" he shouted, fighting the demon off with vigor once again. He backed him into a corner and then threw his sword like a javelin, pinning him to the wall. The demon screamed in pain and writhed, trying to escape. "Ye cannot so quickly escape the magic sword, fool! Ye hast been living Aboveground for too long, HA!" he taunted, clearly enjoying himself.

The knight ran to Sarah's side and took her hand. She was still conscious, though was in a state of shock. Pale to the lips, eyes large and dark, skin clammy and body trembling, she hardly looked like the girl who had run the Labyrinth so long ago.

"My Lady! Listen to me!" he spoke gently but firmly. "Thou art our only hope for doing away with the demon, so ye must do as I say."

Sarah could hear him, but she couldn't hardly focus on his words. Things were so confused, past and present mixed up so much she had no idea where or when she was. And what of all the people and creatures around her? Were they really there?

She was sure Jareth was leaning over her at one point, shouting and shaking her, but then he faded into Ludo. Ludo must be real, he had to be! But then he went from being a giant to a stuffed toy, and then faded into Hoggle. Hoggle just sat there, staring blankly at her, and then he disappeared. Sir Didymus seemed more real than anything, she could feel him holding her hand, and she tried to focus on that.

And the smoke. It was heavy, too heavy. It was her fault, she shouldn't have been so careless with that lamp. It was she who knocked it over, wasn't it? Who knew? It had happened, that was all that mattered really.

"My Lady, ye must wish..." Sir Didymus's voice faded in and out. Or did it? "yourself must do it... us all! Do it now... wish the goblins to come..."

Sarah saw the green cloud attack Sir Didymus from behind. It held him up in the air and thrashed him around. He barked and kicked and punched, but couldn't get free.

And the fire! Had it spread so quickly? Flames were at the top of the stairs now, burning away at the carpet. Wallpaper was catching and burning, curling and falling away in black ashes.

And her father was still up there, in the flames. She didn't know if he was still alive.

"Heaven knows if any of us will be alive in a little while." she said to herself. The thought of dying was terrible to her, and she instantly fought against it. She wasn't ready to die yet! Nor was she ready to let anyone die because she wouldn't say the words. Hoggle said there were consequences, but Sir Didymus has risked himself to tell her to say them. "I'll deal with the consequences! I wish the goblins would come and take us all away, right now!"

All at once she was surrounded by a thousand little furry bodies. They swarmed over her, taking hold of her with little yet gentle hands, and she felt like she was being carried away. A light breeze blew, filling her nose with sweet smells that brought back many powerful memories, and she closed her eyes.

Somewhere she heard a painful screaming. Whether it was in her head of in her ears she couldn't tell, but it grow louder and louder. Her hands covered her ears, trying to block it out, and her mind tried to think of other things, but the screaming wouldn't stop. It sounded as if someone were being ripped apart one piece at a time, and each piece took an agonizingly long time to be pulled off.

Slowly the screams got lower and lower, until there was nothing. She let her hands fall back to her sides, kept her eyes tight closed, and just laid still. The breeze still washed over her, though it had turned warmer and more fragrant.

And then it all stopped. She opened her eyes. She was standing in the throne room of the Goblin King's Castle, though she was sure she had been laying down a moment before. And there, before her, was the Goblin King. He looked so surprised to see her that she got the strong impression that he wasn't expecting her.

"Sarah?" he walked around the pit, which had a giant crystal sphere hovering above it, and towards her. He was breathing heavily, and there was a sheen of sweat on his face.

"Jareth!" she spoke the name as if in a trance, and tried to take a step towards him, but her ankle gave out. She felt two strong arms catch her as she quickly fell unconscious.

* * *

_There, Sarah is back in Jareth's arms at last! YAY!_

_Sorry if I drug it out a little, but I like the suspense:)  
_

_Please review, I just love it when you do!  
_


	14. Chapter 14

_WOW! So many reviews in such a short time! _

_Grey Kindle, you are so lovely! Thanks for the inspiring list:D  
_

_Ariena-Rose, I'm glad you want me to drag it out! I have MUCH more coming!  
_

_Sarah Rose 29, I assure you that Rosalinda is NOT a chicken (ahahha!):D She is someone of my own creation, and is very important to the story:) Also, if the song you are listening to is 'My Immortal' by Evanescence, then you are the first to connect the song to my story!  
_

_Sassatelli, I'm glad you like this story! I have a few more chapters lined up, so I won't be able to end it off right away, but it shouldn't go on for too long:)  
_

_Dragones, glad you don't want to Bog me anymore:)  
_

_Everyone, THANK YOU FOR READING!  
_

* * *

Jareth held Sarah's hand tightly in his, wishing it would grip so that he would know she was alright. She was still unconscious, had been for almost an hour, and the attentions of the Fae Nurse Rosalinda had not succeeded in bringing her around.

All around him was the flurry and fluttering of goblins and fairies, each coming to see what had been done to the Champion of the Labyrinth. He had ordered several of the castle guard to keep them away, but there was only so much that could be done with a tidal wave of concerned Underground creatures. Hoggle had taken charge of the guards and had done a decent enough job of clearing the majority out, but he knew Sir Didymus would have done a better job if he had been able.

The poor knight. He was propped up on the throne, a mug of ale in hand, with a splint around his left leg. The bone had been broken, and it would be a while before he could walk again. But still he was in good enough spirits, partly because of the drink, but mainly because he had fought the battle of his life and had secured a great victory.

"Victory doesn't always mean one wins," he had said sometime before while Jibber, the upstart doctor, had applied the splint. "In this case it means that I fulfilled my duty in protecting the Lady Sarah, and helping to deliver a demon into his prison!"

But Jareth didn't take much notice of anything the knight said, not even as he gave a vivid description of his battle. He was too concerned for Sarah.

"She is in a bad way, Jareth," Rosalinda said in a Fae tongue that only a few knew or spoke anymore. She didn't want to alarm anyone by the news, and decided that speaking the ancient language was best. Jareth, as a ruler in the Underground, spoke it fluently. "She has inhaled a great deal of smoke, almost too much. That gash on her head is bad, it would have left her in critical condition in the Aboveground, she would have very likely gone into a coma. And her ankle is broken, the bone is shattered."

"Will she live?" it was the only question in his mind, and he didn't realize he had said it until Rosalinda answered him.

"The chances are good, but there is still a danger. She will be a long time in recovery." she took a knife from a little case at her side and used it to cut Sarah's pants off. "There is no sign of possession. I don't think Scorpius was able to get to her that way."

"Would you be able to tell if he had tried?" Jareth watched Rosalinda as she carefully administered a potion and bandage to the swollen and ugly ankle. Sarah stirred, groaning in pain, but didn't wake up. He stroked her hand gently, and she calmed down.

"I would need to take some of her blood and look at in through my crystal. But don't ask me to do it now, I need her permission first." she finished with the ankle and move up to Sarah's head. "There is always a chance that it could reveal more than I should know."

Carefully, Rosalinda wiped the blood away from the side of Sarah's face and cleaned the wound before laying a layer of cream on it and putting a bandage over it. "Tell me, wasn't she supposed to wish the demon away?"

"Yes, but she must have misunderstood. Instead she wished everyone in the house away. It achieved what needed to be done, but it will complicate matters." his eyes met Rosalinda's vivid blue ones. "I just hope the consequences won't damage-"

"Your relationship with her?" she finished for him. He nodded, she smiled. He had changed so much since the mortal girl Sarah had entered his life, she liked this new Jareth. But she was not fool enough to think that the old one was gone, he would always be there, but knowing Sarah had added something to his character.

Sarah's hand tightened on Jareth's. He saw her eyes flicker open. They were unfocused, roamed around, not seeing anything clearly, but she was conscious.

"Jareth?" she croaked in a dry throat.

"Sarah, darling. I'm here, you are safe now." he touched her face gently, and she looked at him. For an instant she focused on him, and she knew where she was. A smile touched her lips, and her eyes closed again.

"Jareth, we have to move her to another place, she can't remain on the floor."

"She will stay in my room until I can get something else made up for her." Jareth carefully slipped his arms under her legs and shoulders, lifted her up to his chest and started up the staircase. Just out of sight of the throne room he found Hoggle, who had done his best to clear the throne room and was now taking a break, and Ludo sitting on a step. They looked at him, begging for some good news with their eyes.

"Sawah well?"

"Will she be alright?" Hoggle asked.

Jareth couldn't honestly say yes to either question. "I hope so. She is strong, chances are in her favor."

Relief washed over their faces, Ludo smiled and Hoggle wiped a tear from his eye. Jareth went on, following the stairs and halls to his room, followed closely by Rosalinda. He laid her on his bed, and stood aside while Rosalinda checked once more on Sarah.

When she had gone, giving instructions that Sarah was not to be disturbed, Jareth quietly laid down along side her on the bed. He didn't touch her, didn't do anything that would awaken her, simply laid with her just to be close. He had been parted from her for so long, he didn't want to leave her for an instant.

Her steady breathing soon lulled him into the most restful sleep he had known in years.


	15. Chapter 15

_Thank y'all so much, as usual, for the reviews!_

_Sassatelli, I'm sooo glad you liked the last chapter! And I'm glad you want me to write more:) I thought that you thought it was time to wrap the story up, but I'm glad you want me to go on:)  
_

_Sarah Rose 29, yes, the screams were the demons as he was captured by the spell:) And I'm glad you think the song works well as basis for the Sarah/Jareth part of the story!  
_

_This chapter is lighter and has a bit of humor in it to relieve the drama just a tad, and I will dedicate it to both of you lovely readers!  
_

* * *

"They say that Sarah and Jareth are joined together in a healing sleep that will cure all their ails... HOGWASH!" Hoggle stamped his foot hard on the ground and started spraying at fairies so fast that he downed a dozen in ten seconds. "Stupid goblins, they will say and believe anything! Beats me why they believe what they say!"

"Sawah and Jaweth need west." Ludo said, pushing a boulder into place for the new rock wall outside the walls of the Labyrinth. Hoggle had grown tired of having all those lovely rocks just laying around, and he had ordered the wall to be made out of them himself. Who cared what Jareth thought? He sure didn't!

"Well, then he should be able to have another room made up so they don't have to sleep together!" Hoggle growled, spraying again. "But I'm not buying it. I know that rat all too well. He is fully awake right now, and so is she, and he is hogging all of her attention for himself right now!"

"He woves her, that can't be wong!" he smiled at his handiwork. He was just happy that Sarah was back in the Underground, he could wait to see her for a little while. She needed her sleep anyway, so long as she slept the injuries she had wouldn't hurt her.

"Oh, can't it! She is a beautiful young woman, and he is a demanding, overbearing, seductive and used-to-having-his-own-way type guy! You know what that means, if he makes advances towards her do ya think she would be able to resist?" he took a twig and drew a line in the sand, marking out where Ludo was to place the next rocks.

"Wesist? Advances? What Hoggle mean?" Ludo looked at him with innocent eyes.

"Oh! Erm... well..." Hoggle stammered, wishing he hadn't spoken so rashly in front of the gentle but simple minded giant. He hadn't considered till that moment that Ludo didn't know the facts of life, and now that he knew that Ludo didn't know he wasn't about to enlighten him about something he was sure he didn't need to know. "You know Jareth, he likes to play games. Some of them are a bit... rough, and Sarah doesn't need that right now! But, never mind, it doesn't matter. Rosalinda will see to it that she is well cared for. Now, move that rock to right here and put that one..."

Hoggle quickly focused Ludo's attention back on wall building, and he got back to spraying for the fairies. At midday they sat down by the little pond, which Hoggle planned to expand in a short time, and ate a good lunch of fruits and sweet breads.

They had nearly finished the left part of the wall when the doors of the Labyrinth opened up and Rosalinda walked out, followed closely by Sir Didymus, who sat on the back of his noble steed Ambrosius, his leg still in a splint and a pair of tiny crutches slung on the side of the saddle. Hoggle watched as she approached him, and he had to admit that he was in awe of her. She was tall, slender, and white skinned. Her hair was long down to her knees, red and gently curled. Her eyes were vivid blue, soft and kind, and her face was one of the very fairest to be seen the the Underground.

"Hoggle, Ludo." she smiled at them. Her voice was soft and slightly deep.

"How is Sarah?" Hoggle asked before Ludo could say anything.

"And Jareth?" her smile became slightly sly.

"Alright, and him too!"

"Well, they are still asleep."

"Not pwaying games?" Ludo asked. Hoggle slapped his forehead. Now he really wished he hadn't said what he said.

"Games?" she looked from the giant to the dwarf. Hoggle coughed, tried to look like he didn't understand the giant. But Rosalinda wasn't one to be easily fooled, and guessed right away what had been going on. "Hoggle, you didn't!"

"Didn't what?" he couldn't look her in the eye, kept his locked on the ground.

"You did! Oh, Hoggle! You do like to make the worst out of your king, don't you?" she chided him.

"Well, ya know what he is like! Ya know better than all that he loves to have his own way!" Hoggle started picking up pebbles and making them into a pile. Ludo followed suit, and stopped listening to the conversation. "Especially with the ladies!"

"He likes to have his own way, but I can tell you this much, he never liked to have his way with ANY lady." she said firmly. Hoggle stopped his work to look at her. "Whatever you may think or say about him, he does have a moral center!"

"Are ya lying to me?"

"I'm not in the habit of lying, Hoggle. I have nothing to gain from lies, as you well know." she looked sad for just an instant, then recovered herself.

"He never even had his way with ya?"

Rosalinda shook her head, then walked over to the little pond to throw a small sliver coin into it. A little 'plop' sound broke the silence, and then ripples ran across the water.

"I don't believe it!" Hoggle sat down hard on the ground.

"Believe what you will, I speak the truth." she looked into the water. Hoggle got up and looked with her, though he didn't know why they were looking into the little pond. It was just a pond after all! "Sir Didymus sent a message to the Fae Court, telling them of what had happened to Sarah, and about the demon. He has taken over for Jareth for the moment, until he is recovered. Casting that spell was not easy for him to do."

"And what about Jake?"

"He is in a very bad way. There was a fire at Sarah's house, and he was caught in it. There are terrible burns over most of his body, and he has been so badly drained by Scorpius that he is barely alive. But I think he will make it, just so long as he is properly tended. If only Jibber would let me near him, but no! Not under any circumstances will he let the Fallen One near someone who is under his care!" Rosalinda sat down on the stone border, plainly angry. But she got hold of herself quickly, and her usual calm returned.

"Rosalinda." Hoggle sat down beside her. She looked at him with her lovely eyes. "How are Jareth and Sarah, really?"

"Sarah is still very sick, and will be for quite some time. She has lived with something for many years that few would have survived. Being tormented by a demon takes a great deal of ones physical strength, but it also wears away at ones soul. Sarah is a strong young woman, and she will recover physically, but it will take her a great deal of time to come to terms with the torment she suffered under. And there is a chance that she won't fully recover no matter how hard she tries. But she is strong, like I said, and the chances are in her favor."

"Will she need us?" Hoggle pointed to Ludo and Sir Didymus, who were busy with another boulder.

"Yes, she will." she touched his hand gently. "But, more than anything, she will need Jareth. He loves her very much, Hoggle, more than he has ever cared anyone before-"

"Even himself?"

"Yes, even himself," she wanted to laugh at the dwarf, but restrained herself. "and she will need that to pull her through."

"But why do they have to sleep in the same bed?" Hoggle growled.

"Are you still on that?" she couldn't hold back anymore and laughed. "Well, let me put your mind at rest. He did sleep in the same bed for these three days, but I gave orders that he was to be moved to a different chamber this morning. Sarah will wake up soon, and I don't want her to be upset by the sight of a Goblin King laying beside her. Jareth just couldn't bear to be without her, not after all he had gone through, and I suppose that laying beside her for all that time gave him some of the rest he needed so much."

"If ya say so." Hoggle groaned.

"I do. Now, I must be getting back to the castle. Sir Didymus took it upon himself that I was not to go anywhere without him. So gallant, don't you think?"

Rosalinda headed for the doors of the Labyrinth, seeming to glide over the ground, followed closely by the Knight, and walked inside. The doors swung closed, and Hoggle got back to work on his walls.

* * *

_Hope everyone likes this chapter! Did I mention I LOVE reviews? :-D_


	16. Chapter 16

_I cannot thank y'all enough for being so kind in reading and reviewing my story! Hugs to all!_

_Sarah Rose 29, I haven't forgotten about the little pieces of Sarah and Jareth that they carry around in their minds, never fear:) I have plans for them, I just haven't gotten there yet!  
_

_Anni Girl, you are so kind! I'm glad you enjoy the story:)  
_

_Grey Kindle, such an evil laugh! It tells me that you are still enjoying the story. Thank you!  
_

_Claire M, Thanks for reading:) Jareth messing up Hoggle's name is one of my favorite things to write about. You know that when he gets Hoggle's name right it means that there is something dreadfully wrong!  
_

_This chapter is for all of you lovely readers!  
_

* * *

Sarah awoke in the morning of her fifth day in the Underground. Her eyes were slow to adjust, everything was blurry, and the bright light burned them. At first she was sure it was all just a dream, the heavenly smells, the gentle breeze that blew on her face, the soft mattress and covers, and the soft hands that brushed across her face and arms.

But soon she realized that it was not a dream, it was all real. She was back in the Labyrinth.

"Sarah?" a soft and deep voice spoke to her. She could make out a white and red blur in front of her, and she felt like she was about to panic. What was it? The demon in another form? "Dear, calm down. You are safe, I promise you."

"Who are you?" her throat was dry and cracked. Some sweet tasting liquid touched her lips and dripped into her mouth. She drank greedily, and was quickly refreshed.

"My name is Rosalinda. I'm your nurse."

"Why can't I see?" Sarah felt fingers touch her eyelids to close them, and then something damp and cool was applied to the lids. It smelled of mint.

"You have been asleep for a very long time, and your eyes have just become unaccustomed to being open. This will help, you should be able to see in a moment."

Rosalinda told the truth. When Sarah opened her eyes again she could see clearly. She was shocked to see the most beautiful lady in the world standing over her. Tall, slender, graceful. Her hair was the most fiery red she had ever seen, and her face was perfectly oval in shape. Her eyes were large and vivid blue, and her mouth was neither too wide nor too small. If anything she was what Sarah would have called the most perfect woman.

"You are a nurse?" Sarah asked. What was one so lovely doing attending to sick people?

"Yes. It was Jareth who assigned me to care for you." she ran long narrow hands over Sarah's arms, soothing the slight aches that were there, and then pulled the covers off her lower legs, taking off the bandage on her ankle. "Ah, you are healing very quickly."

"Jareth? He assigned you to me?"

"Is that so strange to you?"

"I thought that he..." she trailed off. "Never mind, it doesn't matter so much."

"You thought that he hated you?" Rosalinda smiled, such a lovely smile.

"Well," she sighed, and decided to be blunt. "I thought there was a good chance he might. I beat his Labyrinth, took back my baby brother, I guess I convinced myself he hated me for that."

"_Sarah, did you so quickly forget what I told you?"_ that voice again! She told it to be quiet, though not aloud.

"I think hate is too strong a word." Rosalinda helped Sarah sit up, and gave her two pills that looked like they had been coated in pale blue glitter. She looked at them, then as her nurse, not sure if she wanted to take them. "Those will help you should you grow dizzy or have any such discomfort."

As if on the mention of the word Sarah's head started spinning. She downed the pills quickly, and was amazed that they didn't taste horrid like all the other pills she had taken in her life. These were sweet and easy to swallow.

"Better?"

"Yes, thank you." Sarah ran her fingers over her hair, and grimaced at the oily and dirty locks. "Where is he, anyway? Jareth I mean."

"He is in another room, I think he was up for an early breakfast, though I'm not sure. Jibber wouldn't let me in to see him." She let a little trace of anger into her voice. Sarah looked at her questioningly. "Jibber doesn't think it is right for a lady, such as myself, to attend on a king. Men take care of men, women take care of women, and never shall the two mix."

"I thought that that kind of attitude was confined to my world."

"Well, think again. It is not a popular attitude here in the Underground, only a very few like Jibber hold such views, but he is the king's doctor, and I don't want to cause a fight with it right now. Jareth doesn't need that sort of upset right now, and then there is you to consider." she went to a large wardrobe against the left wall by the bed and opened it. Sarah saw a variety of clothes hanging in it, but none of them looked like anything she could wear. Rosalinda pulled a long white shirt looking piece and laid it on the bed. "I'm sure Jareth won't mind you wearing one of his nightshirts for a little while, just until we can get some clothes made for you."

"Those are his things?" Sarah pointed at the wardrobe.

"Yes, and this is his room."

"Oh!" Sarah started to climb out of the bed as if there was something under the sheets that was distasteful. She wasn't used to standing, and her ankle hurt her yet, so she didn't get far. Rosalinda was at her side in a flash, and helped her sit back on the edge of the mattress.

"What is wrong, dear? He doesn't mind, honestly. Does it bother you?"

"Frankly, yes. I just don't feel right staying in a room that belongs to Jareth." Sarah realized that she was still clad only in her undergarments, and pulled the sheets back over her. "It feels like I'm invading a space that is... private."

"Ah, I see." she nodded. There was a long robe hanging on a hook at the head of the bed. She took it down and helped Sarah into it. "I know Jareth gave orders that a room should be made ready for you, and I think it is ready, though it wasn't a good idea to move you while you were asleep. I will see about moving you there later today, but first you need to wash and eat something. Would it bother you to use this room for the rest of the morning, and the things herein?"

"I guess not." she reluctantly agreed.

"Alright then." Rosalinda wrapped an arm around Sarah's waist and helped her stand. One step at a time they went made their way towards the door that sat next to the wardrobe. Upon opening it Sarah saw the biggest bathroom she had ever seen in her life, and by far the must luxurious. Everything was carved out of a stunning white marble that was shot through with gold. All the handles and knobs were made out of the very same gold material.

"Its so huge!" she gasped. If anything she was sure one could fit the whole ground floor of her Aboveground house in there with some room to spare.

"Is it? I guess one such as yourself might find it so." Rosalinda sat her on the edge of the large sunken bathtub and started the water running. "Now, if I hold up this towel, will you be able to get undressed alright?"

"Yes, only no peaking!" Sarah was surprised to find herself so comfortable around Rosalinda. Somehow she already felt like a woman she could talk to, trust, and call friend.

"You have my word." she said with a smile, and held up the towel over her eyes.

JSJSJS

Sarah hadn't felt so alive, or so clean, or so human in such a long time. She had scrubbed herself over twice, and washed her hair three times, removing all the horrid smells and stains that had clung to her skin for however long she had been in the Underground. There was a large selection of scented soaps at her disposal, most of them were things that were more masculine than she would wear, but she found one that smelled like a moonlit garden and used it.

Then she had just sat there, soaking and relaxing, for the longest time. The water seemed to have a soothing power of its own, and all her aches and pains and bruises were soon a thing of the past. Most of them were nearly gone by the time she had come to, and the water did the rest by removing all signs of their ever having been. Only her ankle still hurt, but not nearly so bad as before.

She was sitting there with her eyes closed when a wonderful smell came wafting through the door. Her stomach started growling, and she realized that she hadn't eaten anything in a very long time. She grabbed a towel and wrapped it around herself, then called for Rosalinda.

"I have ordered a good breakfast for you," she said while helping her out of the tub. She held up a dry towel while Sarah dropped the wet one off, then wrapped her in it. It was so soft, and covered her from the chest and down to the floor. "You just sit there and let yourself drip dry while I comb you hair. It won't take long, I promise."

Though it didn't take more than a few minutes, it felt like it took hours to Sarah. She was so hungry that she wished she could eat while her hair was combed out. But, at last, the job was done and she was wrapped in a robe and helped into the bedroom. The meal was laid out on a small table, pancakes with golden syrup on the top, several pieces of meat, and a slice of delectable looking cherry pie on the side. While she ate Rosalinda poured her some tea.

"It is an herb tea, one of my own recipes."

Everything was cleared off of every plate, and the whole pot of tea was drunk. Sarah couldn't remember the last time she had eaten such a wonderful meal, and said so to the red haired lady who sat across from her.

"Come to think of it, I don't think I have ever eaten such a lovely meal in all my life!"

"I will be sure and tell the cook that, he will be most pleased. I know Jibber won't be. He likes to give the sick this horrid soup that tastes of Bog Onions, and they are every bit as horrible as they sound, they grow in the Bog for crying out loud! If it is something the sick people like, then it is not good for them, that is what he motto should be!" she smiled, stacking everything on a tray and ringing a silver bell. A goblin entered and took the tray away. "But, like he is always telling me, men to men, women to women, so he has no right to have a say in what I feed my patients!"

Together they shared a good hearty laugh. Then they laughed at what Jibber would be thinking right then if he heard them.

"Speaking of that, Jareth wants to see you." Rosalinda said after the laughter had died down.

Sarah felt her heart give out a sudden pang. "Right now?"

"Well, yes he sent me a message saying he would like to see you right after breakfast, but he said he would abide by what you want. He has been very worried about you for a very long time, he nearly worried himself to death, so I think it would be a good idea if you saw him today, if only for a few minutes."

Sarah felt a tear fall from the corner of her eye. Her companion handed her a handkerchief, one she had grabbed out of thin air, and she wiped her eyes before more fell. "Forgive me. I don't normally cry like this."

"Would you like to tell me what is wrong?"

"Could I tell while I get dressed? It might help me loosen up a bit."

"Of course."

There was a privacy screen by the wardrobe, and this Rosalinda set up beside the bed. Sarah soon found herself behind it, and started dressing in Jareth's nightshirt. She was glad that her undergarments had been washed and returned while she was in the bath, she knew she couldn't, and wouldn't, have worn any of his underthings!

While she changed she told Rosalinda about the Jareth she carried around in her head, how it had been with her for so long, and how he had materialized that day in the park. She told what he had told her, about how he was trapped with her and she with him until she returned him to the rest of Jareth. Hardest of all was telling how he loved her like Jareth had ten years before, but how she didn't know if he still felt the same

"I'm scared, Rosalinda!" she said after the whole story was out. They were sitting on the bed, the screen was down. "There is just so much going on that scares me sick. What if he hates me now? Even worse, what if he loves me and I don't feel the same? I have come to love the Jareth in my head, but what if I can't love the real him? What am I going to do?" she laid her head down on the nurse's lap and cried.

"Sarah, it does no good worrying." she stroked the top of her head. "Things will take their course, and what is meant to happen will happen. It may seem like things turn out for the worse, but in the end it is all for the best. I speak from experience. At one point in my life it seemed that I had lost everything and for no good reason, I was lost and felt so alone. But it has slowly turned for the best, and I can see things more clearly now, and I can see many blessings in my path and many wonderful things that just might happen."

"You talk like the Wise Man." she mumbled into the white fabric of Rosalinda's gown.

"He is a good friend of mine, and he taught me a great many things." she pushed Sarah back up into a sitting position. She had tear stains down her cheeks, and her eyes were slightly red. "But now is not the time to discuss what I have learned over the course of my life. Are you ready to see Jareth, or not?"

Sarah thought for a moment before speaking. "Truly, no I'm not. But I know that I will never be ready, so why put off the inevitable?"

"Now that is wise!" She stood up and took Sarah by the hand, waving a hand over her face so the evidence of tears vanished. A goblin entered, pushing a golden wheelchair into the room, and then quickly left, bowing to the two ladies on the way out. "But, I do have one more thing to say. You don't decide whether you love him or not, you let your heart decide, and there is no need for it to have to do so right now. This is the first time you have seen him in ten years, and the first time he has seen you, and if your heart doesn't tell you what it feels then don't worry. These things will come in time, and there is no rush. Right now he just wants to see how you are, and you should just do the same. Ok?"

Sarah smiled and felt the mist gather over her eyes again, but she forced it away. "Thanks for the words to wisdom. I'm as ready now as I will ever be."

* * *

_Ok, we are well on our way towards a little reunion with our leading man and lady! How many of you are ready for a little 'moment' between them? Let me know!_


	17. Chapter 17

_Here is the next chapter for all of those who are sitting on the edge of their seats, and this one has a little sweet moment between Jareth and Sarah. Hope y'all enjoy!_

_Pam and __loonynerdxd9,__ I'm soooo glad you are enjoying the story! You are so kind:) Thanks for reading!  
_

_Sarah Rose 29, the moment has come:)  
_

_ShadowFey913, it has been a pleasure to share this story:) I too will be sorry when it ends, for I have enjoyed writing it:)  
_

* * *

Jareth had been up for many hours, and all that time he had spent talking to Eddie. The cute worm had been perched on the bedpost when he came around, and had engaged him in conversation right away. They had talked while Jareth gathered his bearings, while he took a shower, while he dressed and while he ate breakfast. The talk revolved mainly around Sarah's return, the demon Scorpius, and what path things were going to take in the future.

"Well, if things go the way I hope they do," Jareth said around a mouthful of breakfast roll. "I will wish the demon away to Oblivion once I'm powerful enough, the Fae Court won't get into a fit over a certain matter concerning the wished away, Sarah will regain her health and strength, and she will stay a while. Perhaps I will get to know her again. Pick up where we left off."

"Aye, you would like that!" Eddie smiled. Jareth glared at him as his sipped his tea.

"Is there something wrong with that, Eddie?"

"No, nothing wrong. It has just been such a long time since something caught your interest. This is an improvement, sir!" he nodded his head in his adorable little way. "And what of the demon's victim, sir?"

"You mean Jake, Sarah's father?"

"Aye, thats right!"

"Jibber that he is not doing well, even under our care. Chances are he won't live for very much longer, and for that I am sorry. If only I had sent the demon to Oblivion before instead of sending him to the Aboveground, this wouldn't have happened. My only excuse for not sending him there is because I was weak from fighting him here, and to use the rest of my powers would have killed me. The Underground would have been safe, but I would have been dead. I had thought he wouldn't live once sent to the Aboveground, I guess it goes to show how wrong one can be, even if he is a king."

Eddie was startled by Jareth's admission, such words would never have come from the old Jareth, and he was about to comment on it when the door opened and Rosalinda came walking gracefully into the room. Jareth looked at her with adoring eyes, took her hand and kissed it gently.

"You are looking better than the last time I saw you." she said, squeezing his hand tightly in hers. "I have come to say that Sarah is ready to see you now. She is in your private sitting room."

Jareth stood up swiftly and started for the door, but Rosalinda restrained him. "Jareth, be gentle with her, don't do anything to frighten her."

"Do you think I'm likely to?" he threw her a mischievous smile she knew all too well.

"Well, yes, actually. But you must do all you can to avoid it right now. Why don't you try letting her lead the conversation, it might help."

"Since when does a Goblin King let a mortal girl lead anything?"

"Since a certain Goblin King lost his heart to her." she switched to the ancient tongue so that Eddie wouldn't understand her. "And she is not a girl anymore, she is a young woman, a woman who has survived what would have killed most long ago. She has a lot to deal with, and being treated kindly by those around her will help her come to terms with what happened. Now go."

Jareth nodded, and went quietly through the door, leaving Eddie and Rosalinda alone.

"You sure got a power over him!" Eddie laughed.

"Not anymore. Sarah has the real power, I lost it all long ago." she smiled sadly and picked up Eddie in her long graceful hands. She was going to find Hoggle and Ludo and set up a little meeting between them and Sarah. Seeing them, she knew, would do the mortal woman a world of good.

JSJSJS

Sarah was sitting on a long couch in front of a hot fire, a book in her hands, when Jareth poked his head through the door. He could see the back of her head, and saw that she hadn't noticed the door open. His normal impulse would have been to march right in and start talking, but he remembered Rosalinda's words and decided on a different tactic. He closed the door, and then knocked lightly on it.

"Come in." her muffled voice came through the doors, and he gently pushed them open. She had turned to where she could see the door, and the book was laid aside. He couldn't tell if she was glad to see him or not, the expression on her face was neutral.

"Sarah." he walked over to the fire and stood in front of her. His hands were clasped behind his back in such a way that it appeared to her that he was ill at ease. But the way he held his head, tall and proud, seemed to disagree with her first impression. "How are you?"

Those were the last words she expected to hear from him. If anything she was sure he would start questioning her as to why she had returned to the Labyrinth, or start playing one of his little games with her. How he had changed!

"Um, better, I think." she stammered. He was making her nervous, standing there like he was. "Please, do sit down."

There were plenty of chairs in the room, but Jareth chose to sit on the couch beside her. He didn't sit close enough to invade her private space, though, and he saw her visibly relax. He picked up the book that lay beside her and glanced at the cover.

"You enjoy gardening?" he asked, flipping through the pages.

"Yes, well, I used to." she played with the tie on what he noticed was his robe. He had to admit that she wore it well, and was half inclined to tell her so, but decided against it. So far everything was off to a good start, why ruin it with such a remark? "It has been a long time. Do you enjoy it?"

"I have never tried my hand at it. The best thing I ever did in the dirt was building sand castles, and that was a very long time ago." he handed the book back to her. "Hoggle is the one who takes care of the gardens here. I should say he is one of the many who do so, for there are great many."

"I don't recall seeing any gardens, or hearing about them."

"Last time you were here you didn't exactly stop to take in any of the finer things about the Labyrinth." she turned and faced the fire. She looked angry and a little afraid, so he changed his tone. "But that was another time, and perhaps now you should take a look at them. They bloom all year round, and being in them is one of my chief joys."

Sarah let her eyes drift around the room, taking in the books, the furniture, and finally her host. The looks of fear and anger were gone, replaced more with a look of curiosity. He liked the look, there was no telling what questions might come along with it. "How long have you been ill?"

Now was his turn to be surprised, and it showed plainly on his face. "How did you know?"

"Hoggle told me that you were not feeling well, and I couldn't help but notice that your face is showing the strain."

She was far more observant than he had thought she would be. He gave a light smile, trying to dampen down any fears she might have over his state of health. "Yes, I have been ill, for a long time really, but the doctor says I'm on the mend. You are looking better than you did when you appeared suddenly in my throne room last week. And are more appropriately clad!"

Sarah seemed to lack the ability to turn red, but she made up for it by turning a deathly shade of pale. She did so right then, and stood up quickly in an instinctive impulse to get away and hide her embarrassment. But she stopped short when a sharp pain shot through her ankle.

"You do like to upset me, don't you!" she said, her back to him, fists clenched at her sides.

Jareth smiled to himself. She still had that streak of sudden anger and impulsive behavior that he loved so much. He had been worried that it had gone after all the time that had past and all that had taken place.

"Forgive me, Sarah." he stood up and laid a hand on her shoulder. She shrugged it off. "Truly, there is nothing to be embarrassed about. I was too concerned about your physical health to even think about your physical charms!"

"Just keep digging that hole, Jareth!" she said angrily, and once again tried to walk away from him. This time her ankle gave out and she fell over, right into Jareth's arms. She looked up into his face, which was mere inches from hers. Her heart gave a strange flutter. "Please, let me go."

"And let you fall? Did I not say once, a long time ago, that I would catch you when you fell?" his voice was low, soft, but not seductive at all. More caring than seductive, and that made it all the more unnerving to her.

"No, you said you would be there as the world falls down. Not the same thing at all!" she put a matter-of-fact tone into her voice to hopefully make her sound more confidant than she really was.

"Wrong, Sarah. I said I would be there _for you_ as the world falls down. And to be there as it falls, or to be there to catch you when you fell, in my view, seem to be very much the same."

For just an instant Sarah thought that he was going to kiss her. And for an even smaller instant she hoped that he would, just a little kiss, nothing much. But the instant went by so fast she wasn't sure it had ever been there. And kiss her he did, though it was on the forehead and not on the lips like she had expected.

"Your ankle still gives you trouble, I see." he changed his tone and the subject so fast that her mind blurred out for a second, leaving her to wonder if that moment had ever really happened at all.

"Yes, just a little." she suddenly realized that it was hurting rather badly right then, and no wonder. It was twisted at a funny angle.

"I'll get Rosalinda to take a look at it." he put his other arm under her legs and lifted her up, holding her like a baby in his arms. "Comfortable?"

"Yes, but the wheelchair is right there." she pointed to it. He didn't even give it a look.

"I hate wheelchairs, not worth the trouble. Unless you would prefer I used it instead?"

She shook her head, and he started out the door and down the halls. She felt safe and secure in his arms, her head resting against his shoulder, his long strands of hair stroking her face gently. Such a feeling was one she hadn't felt in so long, it was truly alien to her, but she easily lost herself in it. It seemed like the walk back to his chambers took far too short a time.

But then he walked a little further down to a door right after his.

"This is your room." he walked in as the doors flew open before him. Carefully he set her down on the bed, which was large, four posted, and covered in a heavenly purple comforter that shimmered in the light. "It is not filled with all the requirements for a lady as of yet, but in the next few days there should be all you require."

"Thank you." she looked around her at the lovely room, and couldn't see how she could possibly need or want more than what was there already.

"I will send Rosalinda to you. Perhaps we could meet for lunch tomorrow?" he leaned against one of the posts, pulling his gloves more tightly up his hands.

"Yes, I would like that." she looked away from him, his messing with those black leather easily got on her nerves.

"Very well, I will see to the arrangements. Good day, Sarah." he said in a very aloof manner, and walked quickly out the door, leaving her to wonder at his sudden change in attitude. First he was ill at ease, then he was enjoying embarrassing her, then he was caring and gentle, and finally he was ill at ease and acted as if he couldn't wait to get out of her sight.

What was with the Goblin King?

JSJSJS

"What is the matter with you?" Jareth had to ask himself once he was alone in his chambers. He felt like an idiot, and he had only himself to blame. Himself and her!

At first he had been sure that he was in control, just like always, but one look at her and he felt everything go right out the window. He had tried to be confidant, proud, on top of everything, but she had an uncanny ability to make him feel like a child. He stumbled around, said stupid things, did stupid things, and it was all because of her.

And he had wanted to kiss her. Oh, yes, he had wanted to! He had dreamed of kissing her for so long, and he had the perfect chance right then. But no! He couldn't make himself do it, a little voice inside him said that kissing her forehead was enough, and he had listened to it. It had been one of the sweetest things in his life, kissing her forehead, but he wanted more.

And then he felt shy around her, decided that their little meeting had gone on long enough, and took her to her own room, left her there to be taken care of by Rosalinda.

"This is not the me I used to know!" he shouted at himself, tearing at his hair. He didn't have to worry about anyone hearing him, his room was always surrounded in a silencing spell, so he let out his frustrations by shouting at himself for a while longer. "Fool! What is the matter with you?"

Darned if he knew!

* * *

_I know, it was short and sweet, but I thought it was enough for a start:)_

_I will try and have another chapter up soon. Thanks to everyone for reading!  
_


	18. Chapter 18

_Sorry it took a while to get this next chapter up! I was all weekend at it:) Had a bit of writers block, couldn't get the words right for the longest time, but I'm happy with what I have now!  
_

_loonynerdxd9, so happy you liked the almost kiss:)  
_

_Pam, you must be psychic! I was planning to make this chapter a reunion!  
_

_Shadowfey913, your comment was so kind I got a little teary eyed! Thank you:')  
_

_ladyrose837, Thank you so much for the review! You should try and write a fanfic of your own, I think you would enjoy it:)  
_

_Sassatelli, I'm glad you liked the chapter:)  
_

* * *

It was after breakfast the next day that Sarah was reunited with her friends. Rosalinda had told her that they would be there at nine, and it had prompted her to eat, wash and dress quickly and carefully. She was glad that some clothes had arrived for her, she didn't want to have a reunion in Jareth's nightshirt, and among the vast number was a simple lavender colored gown with long form fitting sleeves. It was exactly what she wanted, and she matched it with two amethyst hair pins.

She was sitting on her bed, letting Rosalinda finish up the dressing on her ankle, which was healing unusually fast, when the trio of creatures came hurrying in. Sir Didymus was first as he was being pushed by Hoggle in a miniature wheelchair, and Ludo brought up the rear. Sarah felt as if her face would split from the smile that was too big for it.

"Hoggle!" she threw out her arms and he charged from behind the chair, across the floor and jumped onto the bed and into them. Ludo reached down and pushed Sir Didymus the rest of the way to the bed, then picked him up and put him beside Sarah.

"Thou lookest so much better, My Lady!" he said, taking off the little hat on his head and bowing as best he could.

"And I do feelest better, my brave knight!" she drew him into her arms. Ludo stood beside the bed and wrapped his arms around the whole group. They all sat there, not saying anything, just drowning themselves in the happiness of being together again. Sarah felt her eyes grow misty with tears of joy.

Rosalinda smiled at the scene and quietly left the room.

"It is so good to be with you all again." Sarah said at length as they broke their tight embrace and sat around her comfortably. "Tell me everything, all the news! I want to hear about everything that has gone on these last ten years!"

"Well, we haven't been sent to the Bog, that is the first good thing!" Hoggle said, smiling. Sarah agreed that it was good news indeed, though she laughed inwardly at it.

"There have been no serious repercussions from your being the Prince of the Land of Stench?"

"Hardly, My Lady, he just doesn't care for the title that much!" Sir Didymus jumped in. "In fact, there hast been an improvement in Brother Hoggle's fortunes since becoming the Prince of the Bog!"

"Really?" Sarah couldn't imagine what improvement could possibly come from such a position.

"He gets to have all the ale he wants for free!"

Sarah laughed out loud, and the others joined. Even Hoggle, with all his dislike for his royal status, couldn't help laughing along with everyone. It was true, he had gotten free ale every time he entered a tavern, and there was always a fresh keg at his little shack he called home.

"And you, sir knight? You fought as bravely and fiercely as ever when you came to save me. You have been kept busy with training and serving your king, I suppose, to be so fit?"

"Aye, My Lady!" he said proudly, a grin plastered on his furry face. "I have led several battles in the last ten years, though mainly it has been a time of great peace for the Underground. Most of my time has been taken up with training the next generation of royal guards and swordsmen. The King has decorated me many times, I have nearly a hundred metals now, each for outstanding service of one kind or another!"

"Oh, please! Can't ya just drop the modesty for one little second!" Hoggle asked sarcastically. He had been there for each decoration of his Brother in Arms, and he was sure it had mounted to way more than a hundred times. He was also a bit jealous that he hadn't gotten a metal himself, though he pretended it didn't matter.

"Very well, if ye insist!." Sir Didymus took a ring off his hand and gave it to Sarah. She ran her fingers over it carefully, marveling at the intricate work that had gone into it's creation. Up close she could see that it was not a solid piece of gold with symbols carved into it, but several hundred little strands of gold that had been woven and knotted together. "That was a gift from The Queen of the Underground, Clarissa. I was honored with it when I uncovered a plot to do away with her, and am glad to say that I have been in her good graces ever since!"

"It is lovely, Sir Didymus. I'm very proud of you." she handed the ring back to him, and he placed it carefully on his ring finger. "There is a Queen of the Underground? I thought that Jareth was, well, King of it all."

Ludo took his turn to speak. "He only King of Labyrinth, one of most powerful Kings in whole Underground."

"But there are many kingdoms in the Underground, and one ruler unites them all. Queen Clarissa has been ruling for nearly a thousand years, one of the longest monarchs ever." Hoggle picked up where Ludo left off.

"How long has Jareth been ruling the Labyrinth?"

"Ah, long time! I think it has been around seven hundred years. Am I right, Sir Didymus?"

"Aye, for that long, and a good reign it has been. There have been times of trouble, but such times will always come and go, yet he has kept it all together through thick and thin. He is a fine ruler, fair and good to all!"

Sarah wondered if the knight was laying it on rather heavily, giving Jareth virtues that he didn't actually possess, but decided against disputing it with him. She realized that she didn't really know the Goblin King that well at all, and she didn't want to judge without first finding out more about him. Perhaps he was a nice enough person, she thought, it was just that their first meeting had been under rather difficult circumstances, and she had seen him as a villain ever since.

"There is one thing I'm curious about: If he is so good then why does he make people run the Labyrinth? Why not just give the children back when they ask for them?"

"He wants to see if they really mean what they say. If they truly want their babies back then they will do anything ta get ta them, like ya did. But if they don't really want them back then they give up and go home and get to live their dreams, and the babies here get new parents who will love them and give them everythin'." Hoggle held Sarah's hand. "Ya are one of the few who made it. Ya turned down yer dreams in favor of Toby. I think that is one of the reasons Jareth has such a special regard for ya. A rare one ya are."

"_He is wise, that Hevvel!" _there was Jareth's voice again. _"He has hit the nail right on the head. That is exactly one of the reasons I came to love you, word for word. There are many more reasons, but that is one of the big ones."_

"Sawah? You feel bad?" Ludo asked, and she realized she had been quiet for a long time. And there were tears in her eyes, Ludo was brushing them away.

"Oh, no, Ludo. I feel fine, I was just thinking." she was eager to get away from the subject of Jareth. Talking about him seemed to make her very emotional. And his voice in her head didn't help much. "What have you been doing, Ludo?"

"I work in Labyrinth Orchard, pick fruit, plant trees. Fight off Fireys, they pesky."

"Ya should have seen him last year! He was helping with the harvest, and those Fireys jumped down on top of him from some of the trees, singing their annoying songs. and started hitting him with rotten apples!" Hoggle spoke quickly, reliving the scene in his mind.

"But brave Ludo was more than a match for any Firey. He threw them all off his back one by one, into a pile. They all tried to get at him again, but made the mistake of getting in a line first, and he picked up a large stone and threw it at them. Through the air it sailed, and knocked the heads off of each one in a neat row. They scattered after that, leaving him the hero of the day!" Sir Didymus had drawn his sword and used it to emphasize the drama of the day. Had he been able to he would have been jumping all over the place, cutting the air and stabbing at imaginary enemies. Ludo just stood bye with a look of pride on his big face.

Sarah and company spent the rest of the morning catching up, talking about things both important and not important at all. She was saddened when Rosalinda called an end to the reunion, saying it was lunchtime and Jareth was waiting for her.

"Thank you for coming." Sarah said, hugging each of her friends in turn. "We will meet again, soon."

"Are you friends with Rosalinda?" Hoggle asked before leaving.

"Yes, very good friends. Why?"

"I-I just... nothing, it don't matter. Bye, Sarah!" he ran out the door, leaving her to wonder about his last remark.

Was there something she should know about Rosalinda?

* * *

_Yes, I admit, I love weaving mysteries into my stories, especially about certain characters. It keeps the readers coming:D_

_Please review:)  
_


	19. Chapter 19

_Pam, thank you for the review! Ludo is one of my favorites too, just love him!_

_This chapter is for you, a nice lunch between Jareth and Sarah.  
_

* * *

Jareth had decided to have lunch out in the garden. It was a beautiful day, sunny and bright with just a hint of a breeze, and it seemed a shame to waste it by staying in doors to eat.

He had dressed carefully for the occasion, a deep purple overcoat with an elegant yet simple white shirt, his new boots and gloves, and black trousers. His hair was a wild as ever, but he had no intention of changing it. Why mess with perfection?

When Sarah at last emerged, leaning on a cane but walking on her own, she took his breath away. She looked like a dream in that lavender gown, her hair falling down her back and the jeweled clips in her hair. He resisted the urge to take her in his arms and kiss her, determined to keep things simple, and just walked up to her with his hand held out. She laid her own in it.

"I see you are on your feet again." he kissed the back of her hand.

"Yes, much sooner than was expected." she felt a tremor go through her when he kissed her hand and had to work hard to keep her voice steady. "Rosalinda says that I will be able to walk on my own without the aid of a cane in the next day or two."

"Glad to hear it. You look lovely, by the way. The dress suits you."

"Thank you. There is just one thing about the clothes."

"Aren't there enough, or do they not fit?" his concern for her comfort in clothes was sincere, she could tell right away. It was an unexpected show of kindness from him, and she liked it.

"Oh, I'm sure they all fit fine. I just hope you didn't go to any great trouble over them, I mean, there are quite a few!"

"It was no trouble to commission sixty outfits made. If anything I was worried that there wouldn't be enough for you."

"Sixty?" she squeaked. "You didn't have to have so many made, honestly you didn't! I doubt I would be able to wear that many in a year!"

Jareth merely smiled and looped his arm through hers, leading her to the table that was set under a canopy of climbing flowers. He pulled a chair out and she sat down, then moved gracefully over to a side table and pick up two plates which he set on the little table.

He was unaware that she was watching every move he made, for every time he looked at her she pretended her attention was on the garden around her. But once he had turned away she looked back at him, just enjoying the way he moved. He was very graceful, like a cat she thought, and his steady movement was very soothing to her.

"There! That should be everything." he looked at the table, then at her. She dropped her eyes, not able to bring herself to meet his, and so missed the warm smile on his face. "Is there anything else you would like before we eat?"

"Um..." she looked at the silver plates with brightly colored salad on them, the plates of bread sticks, the crystal goblets filled with what appeared to be red wine, and the smaller bowls that were filled with what looked like dressings. What more could she possibly want, or need for that matter? "No, thank you. It all looks perfect."

He sat down and picked up his spoon and dished out some of the pink colored dressing onto his salad, then tossed it lightly, coating the vibrant green leafs with it. But he noticed that Sarah was looking at her dishes uncertainly, as if not knowing what to do.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked. Her eyes darted from one dressing dish to the other, then to him.

"I don't really know which one to take. Are they all dressings, or are some for the salad and others for something else?" she felt awkward, and rather stupid. What would he think of her not knowing which thing went with which?

But he didn't say anything to make her feel worse. If anything he revealed a friendly helpful side she had never seen before. "Those two on the far left are for the salad, the two on the right are for the bread sticks. I ordered the ones that I like the most, and you may taste test them all. If you don't like any of them then I can order you something else."

"I won offend anyone by sending them back if I shouldn't like them?" she asked.

"No one, I promise."

In the end she decided that she liked the pink stuff best for the salad, it was sweet and spicy, tasting somewhat like flowers and honey. For the bread she liked the white stuff, it was sharp and left a tingling sensation on her tongue.

Sarah had half expected Jareth to be silent company, for some reason she got the feeling that he would be broody and tight lipped, but she was pleasantly mistaken. He was talkative and entertaining, asked loads of questions about herself, and invited her to ask questions of him. Several times they found themselves laughing over some joke or other, making it a merry lunch.

"Sarah, I have a question for you." he asked when serving the dessert, which was a selection of fruits served in chocolate sauce.

"Yes?" she reached for the wine and tasted it. Such strong drinks were something she was not used to, and she coughed a little when it went down.

"I would like us to be friends." it was a shock to hear him say so, and she stared at him with big eyes. "Is it such a surprise to you?"

"Yes, to be honest. I had never really thought of us as ever being friends." if anything all she ever pictured was them being rivals, or competitors, always at each others throat.

"_Don't forget that you often pictured him as asking you to be his lover..." _blast it all, why didn't that voice just go away. _"Not that you ever pictured yourself as accepting such an offer. Far too careful to accept anything without questioning it to death first!"_

"To be equally honest I have to say that I never thought of us as being friends either, it just didn't seem-" he stopped, knowing he might say too much, and changed footing. "Well, let me just say that Rosalinda spoke to me yesterday after our meeting," Sarah grabbed the wine and downed a mouthful to cover the embarrassed look she was sure was on her face. "and she said it would be a good thing if we started over with our relationship. Meeting like we did the first time, with your wishing Toby away, was not the best way for anyone to meet. It has made things... difficult, to say the least, and I agree with her that we need to start over with simplicity."

"That does sound nice." she said carefully. "But I just want to know that there are no strings attached, that there is nothing hidden under all of this."

"Cautious Sarah, very cautious. You are a different girl than the one I used to know." he smiled at her. "But, no, there is nothing attached to this. I swear on my honor that there is not. Is that good enough?"

Sarah thought a moment, folding and unfolding her napkin, before answering. "Yes, it is. I would like to be friends, to start over."

"I'm glad. But, here is the question I have for you: How does one go about becoming friends?"

That brought everything to a sudden halt. Sarah felt as if the world around her was holding its breath in shock. What could he possibly mean?

"What?" was the only word she could get out.

"I don't know how to make friends, they are not something I have had a great deal of in my life." he popped a chocolate covered cherry in his mouth and chewed.

"But you are friends with Rosalinda. You made friends with her, can't you remember how from that?" she felt her heart pick up pace. She was feeling a little trapped and afraid that she was getting into something rather complicated.

"Our friendship was formed under, shall we say, unusual circumstances." he looked away. "Yes, we are the closest of friends, but it was not normal in the least. I don't know how to develop a deep friendship the normal way."

"Well, to start off, friendships are not always instantly deep. You just need to take your time, and if it is meant to be then they will grow deeper, you can't force them." she took a bite out of a sweet tasting orange colored fruit. "That is the first lesson."

"And the next one?" he asked eagerly.

"We'll learn it when we come to it. Right now I suggest that we just talk, not about anything really important, ask questions that are basic. Just get to know each other a little." she looked at him, at those beautiful mismatched eyes. She could feel herself falling into them, had to pull herself away before she got lost. "And, above all, we must be nice to each other."

"You mean no fights, no arguments?" he found the thought both appealing and frightening. Would it be possible for them to get along without confrontation? If they didn't fight then what would they do all day? Sit around in a gloomy silence?

"Exactly. We will no doubt run into times and subjects when we will disagree, it is bound to happen, but it is something we must learn to avoid for the most part."

"I think you will end up helping me a great deal along this path, Sarah. I ask you to forgive me for the many mistakes I'm bound to make." he reached out and laid his hand over hers. She folded her fingers around his.

"That is another lesson: Learning to forgive. It is a very important one."

Jareth squeezed her hand, then withdrew his and went back to eating his dessert. Sarah was sorry the contact between them was broken, it had felt so nice and natural holding his hand, almost like being embraced by a loved one that she hadn't seen in years, but she didn't let herself dwell on it. Instead she concentrated her thoughts on things they could do to develop their friendship.

Walking her back to her room was a good first step, she thought as they went down the halls. She was leaning on his arm, a much easier thing to do than leaning on a cane, and he just talked about the castle and gave a short history about it.

"I could find you a book on the subject, if you like. It would be much nicer than sitting alone in your room waiting for that ankle to heal." he opened her door and walked her inside. She sat down on a comfy chair.

"Thank you, I would like that very much."

He said he would be back shortly, and left the room. Sarah couldn't help feeling that things were going well, that this was going to be a deep friendship. It was too soon to tell, of course, but she was sure of it.

* * *

_Ta Da! Hope you enjoyed the chapter:)_

_Will upload next chapter soon!  
_


	20. Chapter 20

_Thank you one and all for the reviews!_

_Sarah Rose, your patience is about to be rewarded! I'm moving in the direction of putting the pieces back together:)  
_

_loonynerdxd9 and reejero, thank you, thank you for reading!  
_

_This chapter will shed some light on the Demon Scorpius.  
_

* * *

Jareth was not happy, not at all, and it showed in his face. There was a set to the jaw and a spark in the eyes that made him look fierce, and the air around him seemed to resonate with the tension and anger that was barely contained in him. In his hand was a crumpled piece of paper.

He was in the Tower Room, a place where many prisoners had been held by his ancestors, and was staring at his own prisoner, the Demon Scorpius. Normally he would have sent prisoners to an oubliette, such places were nearly impossible to escape even for Fae creatures because of the spells that were sunk into the stone walls, but he was taking no chances with this one. The Tower Room was practically built out of spells that would keep the most dangerous creatures from escaping, making it even more secure than the most secure oubliette in the kingdom.

The crystal sphere hovered at eye level, and the green cloud inside swirled and glowed like a building storm. His powers were returning, it was plain to see, but he couldn't escape his sphere unless someone let him out with the right counter spell. Jareth had made sure that no one but himself and Rosalinda could enter the room, and even she couldn't enter until he had unlocked the door himself.

"You are not happy, Jareth? Well, neither am I! We make a pretty pair, don't we?" Scorpius could speak, it was the only thing he could do.

"Hardly a pair I think! Being a pair means we are identical in at least one respect. I can't see any resemblance between us at all." Jareth growled, holding his head high with the usual pride.

"Ah, but I do! We are both determined to get what we want-"

"But I am not about to beat someone to within an inch of their life until I get it!" he cut him off angrily, his voice sounding like thunder in the little room.

A face formed in the cloud, a male human face with striking features, and it smiled wickedly. "You mean Sarah, the mortal wench? Well, I had to try and get back here somehow! You know I would do anything to reach my goals."

"How did you find her? Why did you pick her of all the people in the Aboveground? Tell me!"

"If you must know, then I will tell you. I was drifting aimlessly through the Aboveground and fate arranged it so that I happened to be nearby when she wished her brother away. You may have taken most of my powers, ones which I may never reclaim, but I could still sense when the forces of magic were at work. I waited until she came back to her home, and saw that her brother had been returned, and so knew that she had won the Labyrinth. And then I saw you, in your owl form, perched in that tree watching her. I knew she was more to you than just another runner, you never stayed to watch any of the few who won the Labyrinth before, and in knowing that I saw two possibilities for my future."

"Go on." he glared at the face, it glared back. "What were the possibilities?"

"Patience! That will come along presently, but first there is more story to be told. I tried to possess her father by normal means, getting into his dreams and offering him wonders and riches if he would consent to be my host, knowing he would never consent in the real world. But he wouldn't consent even in the dreams, knowing it would hurt his family, and that he wouldn't do for the whole Underground. So, after a whole half year of trying to win him over, I simply took over his body by force. It wasn't easy to keep him under my control, he fought me every step of the way, but I was able to set things in motion. There was a need to get rid of his mate Karen and the brat Toby, they were in my way, so I made life unbearable for them both, making sure Sarah never saw it, until Karen up and left. After that I pretended to be the heartbroken father and husband, and Sarah was too much of a fool to see past that little act and fell right into my trap."

"Don't you call her a fool!" Jareth warned.

"But she was! She couldn't stand the thought of leaving her poor, depressed and abandoned daddy all alone, and so gave up part of her future to stay with him, and thus fell under my power."

"That was when you threw up the fog so I couldn't see her."

"Very good, Jareth! You grasped that quite easily! Once she had no reason or means to leave easily I began beating her. And now, Jareth, here are the two possibilities I saw for my future: One was that I would beat her until she wished me away to the Labyrinth again, seeing as how it was the only was I could get back. But she had a strength in her that was truly admirable, and wouldn't do that to her father, no matter how bad things got. You really must have taught her a lesson or two about wishing people away! How did you do it? Seduced her perhaps?"

Jareth struck his foot on the floor and a bolt of red lightning came out of the stones under the sphere, striking it hard. Scorpius screamed in pain as the fingers of sharp light danced around him.

"Don't you dare insinuate anything of the kind, or I will do some horrible damage to your person!" Jareth warned when the lightning had vanished.

"Very well." his voice was strained and filled with pain, but he pressed on with his tale. "The second possibility was that I would beat her to death, and then lift the fog so you could see what I had done to her. It wouldn't have been so wonderful a victory as taking your kingdom, but I would have been content that you suffered every single day from the loss of the girl you loved. You do love her, don't you?"

Jareth didn't say anything, but his silence was enough of an answer for the demon.

"But then her father started drinking, and that was bad for me. I couldn't control him so well when he was drunk, and then when he passed out after gorging himself on spirits I had no control at all and had to leave him for a while. It was during one of those times that the wench ran away, and I had the very devil of a time finding her again. I discovered her hiding place one night when she was talking to a friend called Hoggle through her mirror. I returned a few days later with Jake and used him to carry her back to my lair, where I had planned to make her life a living misery, the likes of which would make the years before seem like a picnic, but then Jake started giving out on me. I couldn't stay in a body that was dying for very long, for if the host died then I would die with him, so I left for a short while, hoping to find another host."

"But Sir Didymus came before you could manage that. He was a brave one, thwarted your plans." Jareth allowed himself a laugh, it made the demon angry.

"Yes. I had no idea she had made so many friends when she was here, they were my true downfall. I couldn't block them unless I knew they existed, and I never knew of the stupid knight, so he was able to get through." Scorpius's brow creased into a deep frown. "And by then you had discovered that it was I who was causing all that trouble, and Sarah wished us all away. Now she is safe and I am your captive. What of Jake, did he survive?"

"Yes. He is also safe, and well cared for."

"Blast! I had hoped that someone would die in all this, but it seemed that I was cheated out of that as well! I would have thought that you would be happy right now, gloating even, but you don't look happy at all. Mind telling an old foe why?"

Jareth's hand clinched the paper even tighter, his brow furrowing. "I do mind, and I won't tell. Just know that I will send you to Oblivion one way or another, and nothing will stop me!"

"Nothing?" his laugh was evil, spine chillingly so, but Jareth didn't flinch.

"Nothing!" he stalked out of the room and slammed the door behind him.

"Hmm, nothing? I'll bet there is one thing that would stop him, he just hasn't considered it yet!" Scorpius felt more laughter bubbling up inside him until he burst with it. His voice howled with mirth until the little room was shaking from the sound. It was a pity, he thought, that no one could hear him through the silencing spell. It might have frightened a few fairies to death!

JSJSJS

Rosalinda was going to see Sarah when she ran head first into Jareth as he strode quickly down the halls of the castle. She was nearly knocked off her feet, but he was quick enough to grab her and hold her upright.

"I'm sorry! I wasn't paying attention." he brushed her off. She noticed the letter in his hands. "Where are you going?"

"Well, I was going to see Sarah. She is with her friends now, and I thought we might all have tea together. Where were you charging off to?"

"Anywhere but here!" he pressed on, but she followed, keeping good pace with his huge strides.

"And the letter? I couldn't help but notice that it bears the royal seal of Queen Clarissa. Something to do with the demon Scorpius no doubt."

Jareth didn't answer, just continued on his way, his hair flying out behind him, until he reached his study. Once there he ushered Rosalinda inside and crammed the letter into her hands. "Read it!"

She did, and color came into her pale cheeks. Her eyes flashed with an angry spark, the same kind Jareth had in his when angry, and slammed the letter down on the table.

"I never thought I would ever say this about the Queen of the Underground, but she is a FOOL!" she shouted. Who cared if Clarissa heard her? She was angry enough to be a match for the Queen's wrath. "You are denied the right to send the demon that nearly destroyed you into Oblivion because they want him to stand trial? It is absurd!"

"Absurd, stupid, numb skulled, idiotic, moronic..." he went on to call them every name he could think of until he couldn't think of anything else to say. She made no move to stop him, she was glad he was calling the Queen all those names. Saved her the trouble, gave her time to calm down and become the voice of reason once again. Only she couldn't find anything to be reasonable about. "Clarissa's own father put the demon under threat of Oblivion because of what he had done to several kingdoms in the Underground, and his orders were that if anyone could do away with the demon then they should without having to consult the courts.

"But now that is all changed! She wants him to stand trial to see if these 'alleged' acts of tyranny and destruction are true or not." he let out a shout of frustration and kicked his chair so hard it flew across the room. "I nearly lost my life and my kingdom to Scorpius! I have witnesses who will testify against the demon, I have proof of all that he did, and yet all that is not good enough for Clarissa! She wants to call a whole court and talk reasonably about all this. It will just waste time, nothing else!"

He stood behind his desk, tall and frightening in his black outfit. His hair was standing on end, and fists were clinched so tightly it was a wonder the leather of his gloves didn't tear across the knuckles.

"Jareth, where were you coming from when we met in the halls?"

Jareth looked down at the floor, grinding his teeth. "You know where I was, and what I wanted to do."

She nodded. "You were going to defy the Queen and do away with the demon, I thought so. What stopped you?"

"Sarah did." he lowered himself onto the edge of the desk, looking away from Rosalinda. She walked around to sit in front of him.

"Did you tell her about the demon, about all this?" she prayed he hadn't. Sarah hadn't asked one word about Scorpius, or her father in the time she had been back. Rosalinda knew it wasn't that Sarah didn't want to know about them, it was that she was not ready. When she was ready she would ask, but not before. It would be a mistake to tell her anything before she had prepared herself for it.

"No, not that Sarah." he sighed, rubbing his forehead as if it hurt him. "The Sarah in my head."

Rosalinda listened to Jareth while he told her about the little piece of Sarah that he carried around. To know that both of them had taken part of the other made it very clear to her that they loved each other very much, even if one of them didn't fully realize it, and were meant to be together. They hadn't wanted to be separated, Jareth wanted her to stay and she wanted to stay with him. Why Sarah had said the words that sent her back home was the one thing Rosalinda couldn't understand. Why had she turned down what her heart wanted more than anything?

"She is often the voice of reason I lack." he said at length, taking Rosalinda's hand in his. "I don't know what I would do without her sometimes. But she wants to go back and join the rest of her, and I can't bring myself to let her go, no matter how much she plagues my mind day and night. She is driving the sanity right out of me, and still I can't let her go."

Rosalinda thought for a moment before speaking. "Jareth, this is not doing you or her any good. Sarah, the real her, is here now, holding onto that little piece is pointless."

"But what if she leaves me again? What will I have left?"

"There is no reason to think that she will be leaving again for a long time, and if she does there is no reason to think that she won't come back to see you. She told me that you and she are becoming good friends, that she hopes you will both always be close. I know she wouldn't have said that if she planned to leave and never come back."

"She has the habit of saying things she doesn't mean from time to time." he thought back to the night she wished Toby away, how she had said she didn't mean it. He could still hear himself mocking her with his cruel 'Oh, you didn't?'

"That was the old Sarah, the child. She learned the lessons this place and you taught her, she doesn't say things she doesn't mean anymore, or at least very rarely." she brushed the locks of hair hanging in his eyes. "You must let go of her, you will get your own freedom in return."

Jareth sighed, giving in. He was tired, so tired of everything that was going on around him, he wanted it all to just go away, vanish into thin air. All he wanted was Sarah, and he hoped that giving up that little piece of her would help him win the whole of her.

"How do I go about this?" he asked at last.

"Let me do some research, talk to Eddie and the Wise Man, and I might be able to come up with something by tomorrow. She shouldn't drive you completely crazy by then!" she stood up and kissed the top of his head. He smiled. "You should go and rest, you look all in. If you were going to spend time with Sarah today I think it would be a good thing. Just try to relax, and I'll get back with some answers as soon as I can."

"Don't know what I would do without you, Rosalinda." he stood up to his full height and drew her into his arms, placing a kiss on each cheek.

"So long as Sarah is in your life you will do fine without me." she turned and left the room, her cheeks glowing red where he had kissed them.

* * *

_The next chapter will be up soon, so stay tuned!_

_Thanks to everyone!  
_


	21. Chapter 21

_Ok, I finally got this chapter ready! I wasn't sure I would make it this morning, seeing as how I was up till past midnight watching The Chronicles of Riddick with my dad and brother, and I have a splint on my hand because of a smashed finger, but I got it done! YAY!_

_Sarah Rose 29, Yes, unrequited love is a sad thing, but it does make for a good story. I will explain all about Rosalinda in due time, and I will do my best to come up with a happy ending for her:)_

_Pam, you are wonderful! That demon is a nasty piece of work, I know!_

_Shadowfey913, it won't be too long before we meet Queen Clarissa, she is going to be a BIG part of the story!_

_Ariena-Rose, I can't thank you enough for the wonderful comments! My Immortal was really the foundation stone for this story, I got to listening it while thinking about Labyrinth, and the story about Jareth and Sarah just unfolded in my mind, and the rest soon followed. I do love that song!_

_loonynerdxd9, as long as you want another chapter I am only too willing to oblige:) I just don't know what I will do when I'm done with this story!_

_Thanks to EVERYONE! Y'all are toooooo wonderful!_

* * *

Sarah was nervous, very nervous. Her hands were shaking in addition to being covered in hives, and they itched something horrible. Rosalinda had given her something to make them go away, but it didn't seem to be working, they just kept coming.

It was twilight time, the stars were just starting to come out, the bright lights were fading to blue. She was standing on her balcony, a vision dressed in a deep purple gown that showed off her figure to the best advantage, a light breeze blowing through her hair.

"It is alright, Sarah. I know what to do." Rosalinda was saying to her.

"I don't doubt you, I am just having a hard time coming to terms with this." she looked down at her hands, they were redder than ever, and she had been rubbing them nonstop for a long time. To keep herself from rubbing anymore she fiddled with the golden chain belt around her waist. The cool metal felt good on the burning skin. "I don't really want to part with my Jareth, I have grown used to him being there all the time. I'm afraid I will be very lonely."

"_You are lonely now!" _he spoke up.

"Oh, do be quiet!" she snapped, then covered her mouth, looking over at the Fae Nurse. "I didn't mean you, it was him again."

"There is another good reason to give him up, he won't be able to cause embarrassing conversational faux pas!" she made Sarah laugh. "But, seriously, it has to be done. You and he have become good friends over the weeks, and that is very important, but it is not enough."

"Not enough for him or for me?" Sarah looked back out at the night. Never had she seen such bright stars before, each one shining like a diamond with fire at its heart.

"For both." she walked silently over and leaned on the balcony's railing. "This may be something you might think is none of my business, and perhaps you are right, but it needs to be said. I ask you to forgive me if I tread where I am not welcome."

"I will." Sarah nodded. She couldn't imagine ever being upset or even slightly angry with Rosalinda. Being so was impossible.

"Jareth wants to be closer to you than just a friend." she picked her words carefully. "He has loved you for a long time-"

"_Did I not tell you that day in the park?"_

"-but he is unable to get closer with that little piece of you in his head. It is like having-"

"Someone watching your every move, not letting you do what you need to do." Sarah finished, letting out a shaky breath. "I know the feeling, I have the same problem. It is a comfort to have that little piece there at times, but it does hold one back when one needs to move on."

"You do love Jareth, don't you?"

Sarah glanced sideways at Rosalinda. "I love the one in my head, and I think I love the rest of him. At times I am so sure that I do, but then I feel the little piece and it makes me less sure." she slapped her hand on the railing, making the skin sting even more, but she wouldn't let herself think about it. "I'm tired of all this uncertainty! I want it over and done with!"

Rosalinda smiled. "Now that is the spirit! You have made up your mind, and that is what is needed. So long as you were unwilling to give him up you wouldn't be able to, but he is free to go now. Come inside, Jareth is waiting."

JSJSJS

Jareth looked and felt every bit as nervous about the situation as Sarah. He was standing in the hall at the halfway point between the doors of their respected bed chambers, his hands clasped tightly behind his back and head down. The place was lit with torches that burned a magic fire which didn't leave clouds of smoke and didn't make everything take on a yellowish hue like a normal fire did.

He wasn't too sure about this himself, this returning the piece of Sarah to the rest of her. It made his stomach jump around so much he wished he hadn't eaten dinner, and his hands were breaking out in painful little hives. But, he had made up his mind, and there was no going back.

When Sarah emerged from her room he threw his head back and squared his shoulders, making himself look as proud and noble as possible. He didn't want to show any fear, lest it make her think less of him.

"_You are not heading for a public execution, there is no need for this show of bravery!" _Sarah said. She was sounding more at peace than ever, happy to be on the road to freedom.

"Tell her that! She is putting on a show of bravery herself!" he shot back, though not aloud.

And indeed she was, her head held high and walking with a confidant stride. She stopped a few feet from him, and looked him dead in the eyes for a few seconds before losing her nerve and fixing him on the toes of his boots. He noticed her red hive covered hands clinched at her sides, her arms held stiff as rods of iron.

"If it helps, Sarah, I'm as nervous about this as you are." he said kindly.

"Really? You don't look the part." she said, voice low and quiet.

He lifted his hands and pulled off his gloves, held them out for her to see. Her eyes went wide when she saw how red and puffy they were, just like her own. Jareth smiled that little smirk that Sarah loved so much, the one that made her heart start thundering in her chest, and both of them laughed. What were the odds that both would break out in the same fashion over the same thing?

"Are you both ready?" Rosalinda asked, standing beside them both, a crystal sphere in each hand.

"Yes." they both answered without hesitation. Sarah took one offered sphere and Jareth the other.

"Hold them to your heads, close your eyes, and open your minds. Don't try to hold onto the pieces as they leave, just let them go. The crystals will capture them."

Sarah pressed the sphere against her forehead and closed her eyes. Opening her mind was easy, keeping it open as the little Jareth trickled out was hard. Every instinct was pushing her to hold onto him, to stop him from leaving, but she pushed them back. As he left it felt as if there was an empty spot in her mind, a bottomless pit that could never be filled.

"Jareth?" she called to him in a thought, hoping for his voice to answer her. But it didn't, he was gone, and her call echoed through the now empty halls of her mind.

When Sarah opened her eyes she saw that her crystal was glowing vivid blue, and Jareth's was vibrant pink. "Is that it?" she asked, looking at Jareth. His eyes were overflowing with tears, just as hers were.

"Yes." Rosalinda said quietly, noticing the damp faces of both her dear friends as they looked at each other. "Exchange your crystals."

She took Jareth's crystal and handed hers over to him. There was a light humming coming from hers, and the light within was dancing happily. She wished she felt as happy as it looked, but the feeling of emptiness was so sharp she couldn't overcome it.

"The crystals now hold your missing pieces. You both need time to rejoin them, though I can't tell you how you will accomplish it. This sort of thing has happened so few times that very little is known about it. My advice is that you both return to your rooms where there will be no distractions, and maintain physical contact with the spheres, perhaps it will allow the pieces to come together. I will be nearby should you need me for anything." she took Sarah by the arm and back to her room, then walked down the hall and out of sight. Jareth watched them go, and went back to his own, shutting the door and leaving the hall quiet and empty.

* * *

_Voila! The next chapter will rejoin the pieces, and there will be some romance for those who have been waiting for it!_


	22. Chapter 22

_And here it is, ladies and gentlemen, a little show of what takes place as the pieces are joined to form one, followed by a bit long awaited romance! I will admit that I'm not good at writing romance (or maybe I'm just to critical of myself:) so please forgive me if this runs on too long, not long enough, or if you found it cheesy or anything like that:D  
_

_Shadowfey913, thanks for the concern over my finger:) I'm fine, I think its just a nasty bone bruise right on top of my second pinky knuckle on my right hand. This biggest problem for me is typing with my hand wrapped, but, like Queen said, The Show Must Go On! Besides, I'm just loving writing this story! And thanks for wanting to give the characters a hug, it was very sweet of you!  
_

_Ariena-Rose, I'm glad to have someone who understands the need for music to inspire stories! Glad you loved the last chapter!  
_

_Sarah Rose, Jadeium Anix Cross, and loonynerdxd9, the wait for this chapter is over:)  
_

_Pinkbubblegum13, I don't feel at all pressured, if anything I am so glad you you are begging me to write more! So glad you are liking the story:D  
_

_Yuri Amuyu, You called me SWEETHEART! *Gasp, giggles!* Ah, you have made my day! Thanks for reading!  
_

_Hugs to all my fans!  
_

* * *

Sarah laid down on her bed, the crystal at her side, and placed a hand on it. She had no idea how she was supposed to take back her missing piece, really wished that Rosalinda had known, and decided that she would just wait and see what happened, leaving herself open to every possibility.

She was tired, and started to drift off to sleep, when she felt as if something both familiar and alien was gently entering her mind. She didn't fight it, just let it flow sweetly, soothingly. Soon it had filled the emptiness inside, and she felt complete again. She was asleep.

But then came dreams, dreams that she knew were memories. The memories were not her own, and at the same time were. She was witnessing things that had happened in the past, things that had happened both to herself and Jareth, yet she had not actually been there to experience them.

She tried to turn away from them, to block her eyes, but it was impossible to shut them to the dream. It felt wrong watching the memories, as if she were reading another person's diary and each page was filled with their deepest thoughts and feelings.

"I can't watch!" she told herself, trying to find some way out of the dream. If only she could shatter it like she had the ballroom, just a chair through a wall, so simple! But there was nothing there to break, no way to escape. "Make it stop!" she screamed.

"There is no stopping it now, and I wouldn't even if I could." a girl's voice told her. She recognized it as her own voice, though it was the voice of her at fifteen. "We are joining, we must share our separate memories."

"But why must I watch his suffering? His pain is his own, I have no right to pry!" her mind shouted.

"We can't become one without sharing the memories of each others lives. I was with Jareth all along, I knew each thing he went through, and all he experienced I experienced, it was as if we were the same person. They are his memories as much as my own, and they must be shared."

"Does this mean my memories will be shared with him?" the thought shook her to the core and an icy feeling swept over her.

"Yes, it will be."

"But – I..." her voice broke. She didn't want him to know what had happened to her any more than she wanted to know what had happened to him. It felt as if she were being completely exposed, all her flaws laid out for him to see. She afraid of him knowing all about her.

"He won't know everything, only what you shared over the ten years." the voice said.

"And how do you know what will be shared? I have no idea what is going on, and if you are me then how could you possibly know?" she demanded of her other self.

"It is mainly guesswork," she admitted. "But let me put it this way: I know nothing about Jareth except what went on during the years after you had left. I could only see through his eyes, only felt what he felt, and only knew what he told me. Therefore, it would follow that only the memories of the ten years will be shared."

Sarah clearly followed her line of reasoning, and hoped it was right. Sharing ten years of memories was hard for her to accept, but at least it wasn't a whole lifetime. She still didn't like it, but decided to make her peace with it, and let everything flow without trying to escape it.

"One question. Will you remain with me as an individual, as a voice in my head?" she didn't like the idea very much. Having Jareth there had been hard enough, but having herself would be unbearable.

"No. You and I are the same, only time separates us, once we have both seen each others lives then we will be one and the same. You will be fully complete, there will be nothing missing and nothing extra."

Sarah didn't say anything else and watched as the memories unfolded before her like the pages of a book.

JSJSJS

Jareth's memories were like a nightmare. He tossed and turned on his bed, but couldn't wake up, couldn't get away from all the demon had done to Sarah and himself.

Every time he saw her beat he felt her pain, every time she cried he felt her misery. He watched himself wipe away those tears an endless number of times, watched as he tried to protect her yet couldn't. It was all so real, too real in the end. He had been so close to her all those years that what happened to her had, in a way, happened to him too.

"I should have been able to protect her!" he whispered. "But how could I have protected her when I couldn't even protect myself?"

His mind was plagued by such questions, and he did his best to ignore them for each time he got an answer it bred ten more questions. All around him were Sarah's and Jareth's memories, flowing quickly by, and focusing on them helped to keep the questions at bay.

When he woke up the clock was just striking thirteen. All was quiet, a peaceful quiet, and the only movement was the flickering flames of the candles and torches that lit the room. He felt rested, composed, and completely relaxed. Even the hives on his hands were gone, not a trace remained.

There was also a change in him. He was stronger than before, both physically and magically. For so long it had felt like he could just barely grasp onto the powers he had used so easily before, but now he was able to do so without thinking about it. It had been hard to conjure up one crystal, but now he conjured up four and slide them along his hands with ease. And just for kicks he made himself disappear from the bed and reappear atop the fireplace mantle while juggling. Sarah's giving him back his other piece had also given him back his control of his powers.

Sarah. Just the sound of her name made him smile, and he jumped off the mantle, landing lightly on his feet. He wanted and needed to see her, and it couldn't wait until morning. All the crystals fell from his fingers, but he had vanished before they hit the floor.

JSJSJS

It was the feeling that she was not alone that made Sarah wake up. She was laying on her side, sunk into the soft and warm comforter, her hand still on the crystal sphere. It was dark now, no light shone from it's heart.

There was a light tugging sound behind her, and she turned over slowly to see what caused it. Jareth was leaning against the lower right hand bedpost, the tugging sound was his pulling at his gloves, and he was watching her out of the corner of his eye.

"Jareth?" she pushed herself up to sit against the pillows, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "Is there something wrong?"

"I'm here to find out if there is or not." he said, still pulling at those stupid gloves. Sarah tried to think of something else besides how much that sound was annoying her, and fixed her attention on the fact that he was dressed rather casually. But she instantly regretted it as she noticed his shirt was hanging open.

"Um... wh-what d-do you mean by that?" she stammered, trying to fix her attention on something other than his chest with the crescent pedant laying against it.

"I need to know something, and only you can give me an answer." he had his eyes fixed on her, and he crossed his arms over his chest, something for which she breathed a mental sigh of relief. "If the answer is what I hope it is then there is nothing wrong at all, if it is other than what I hope, well then... I'll learn to live with it."

Sarah needed to know something too, and only he could give her an answer. "I will answer your question if you will answer mine in return. Deal?"

His left eyebrow quirked, as did the corner of his mouth. "But of course. Fair is fair."

He stood there, silent for a few moments, just looking at her as if trying to decide what words to use. Sarah felt tension building up, wanted to jump down his throat and yank the words out. She really didn't care what words he used, just wanted to hear the question, she was sure she knew what he was going to ask.

At long last, he opened his mouth and tried to say something. But nothing came out at first, so he swallowed and tried again. Sarah felt she was on the edge of a cliff, arms spread out and ready to fly.

"How is your ankle feeling?"

Sarah's mouth gaped open, and her feeling of ready to fly now felt like she had crash landed at the bottom of a mountain. She had been hoping his question would be something along the lines that her was going to be. The last thing she had expected was for him to inquire about her ankle, and it made her angry, furious to be exact.

"Just fine! Wonderful, in fact!" she spat, glaring at him with angry eyes. He just stood there, looking as if he wished he hadn't asked about her ankle, as she crawled off the bed. "It is feeling just as good as it was two weeks ago when Rosalinda declared it completely healed, and chances are it will be feeling just as good tomorrow! Now, if that is all you have to say then get out! I have some sleep to be getting on with!"

She made for the door, intent on throwing him out or leaving if she couldn't manage it, but he grabbed her arm as she went by. She tried to yank it out of his grip, but he held on and drew her into his arms.

"Jareth, you let me go or I'll-" she was cut off by his suddenly pressing his lips against hers. Her hands found their way to his chest and, in an act of defiance, tried to push him away. But it was a halfhearted attempt and soon she gave up, letting herself be swept away by the moment. Her anger faded away quickly, and was forgotten.

The kiss seemed to last an eternity, but was over far too soon for her. As Jareth lifted his face away from hers she started to protest, but he shook his head, and she said not a word.

"Sarah, I didn't mean to ask about your ankle." he said, a smile touching his lips. "I just couldn't get the words to come out, the right words. You seem to have the power to rattle me whenever I want to speak from the heart, I just can't say what I feel without feeling like a fool."

"If you have something to say, then please say it. Don't feel like a fool in front of me." she laid her head on his chest, waiting for the question she knew he would ask, wanting to hear it for herself.

He took a deep breath and blurted the words out before his throat could close around them again. "Sarah, do you love me? I can't tell by our shared memories, you were always so unsure about how you felt because having two Jareths around was so confusing. Please say you love me!"

Sarah smiled, a tear slipped from under her long thick lashes. Happiness was racing through her like a flood, washing away all the pain from the years gone by. "I have no more uncertainties. I do love you. Love you with all that I am and ever will be." she heard his heart skip a beat. "Now for my question."

"Anything, my love." he kissed the top of her head.

"I know from our shared memories that you love me, I just want to know if you really, truly, love me that much."

As an answer he lifted her face up and kissed her again, running his fingers lightly across her cheek and jaw. His other hand ran back over her neck and then trailed through her hair, sending shivers through her. Reluctantly she broke the kiss, and it was her turn to lay a finger against his lips to silence his protests.

"Um, Jareth? Would you do something for me?" she asked, running her fingernail along his bottom lip and chin.

"Name it and it is done." his eyes bored into hers.

"Take off those stupid gloves if you want to run your fingers through my hair. They really ruin the perfect moment!"

Jareth sighed heavily and yanked the gloves off, tossing them on the floor. Sarah looked at his hands, such long, narrow, tapered and lovely hands, and wondered why in the world he kept them sheathed in those leather gloves all the time, though she didn't voice the question.

"Happy now? Can we get on with business?" he sounded so impatient that she giggled.

"Perfectly happy, thank you. You may kiss me again, if you like." she draped her arms around his neck, pulling him down to her.

And kiss her he did, again and again, a countless number of times, until the clock struck two in the morning. They were laying on the bed by then, hand in hand. "You have some sleeping to catch up on," he observed, sitting up, his hair falling in a tangled mess across his shoulders and down his back. He looked down at her lovingly, seeing her eyes drooping sleepily. "I'll leave you."

"I do need to sleep, but I won't be able to do it without you here." she reached out to the pillow beside hers and patted it. "Will you stay?"

Jareth was only to happy to oblige, not keen on the thought of spending the rest of the night without her, and propped himself against the pillows, waving his hand so all the torches and candles went out, leaving the room in darkness save for the moonlight. Sarah laid her head on his chest, slipping one hand inside his shirt, and closed her eyes.

"I love you, Sarah." he stroked her hair.

"I love you too, Jareth." she mumbled, drifting away swiftly, feeling for all the world like she was in heaven.

* * *

_Oh, I hope I did alright! Please don't hate me if I did something wrong! Hope y'all enjoyed:)_


	23. Chapter 23

_Oh my gosh! So many comments and reviews, I'm overcome with joy! It is late right now, so I won't be able to thank everyone individually, but I am truly happy y'all liked the last chapter and hope you enjoy this next one too:)_

_Oh, as to my finger, it is still in a splint and will be for a little while yet, but I think it is getting better each day:)  
_

_Morgan la Fae, Ouch! Hope the finger gets better soon!  
_

_Hugs to everyone, and thanks again!_

* * *

"Drat the RAT!" Hoggle muttered as he stamped down the halls of the castle. He had just found where Jareth was hiding, and he was not happy about it one bit.

"Goodness, Hoggle!" he ran headfirst into Rosalinda, knocking him clean to the ground. He looked up at the tall lady, dressed in a white gown, as usual, though this one sported a lower neckline and a sheer cape hanging off the shoulders. She reached down and pulled him up. "What has you so upset?"

"Jareth, that is what!" he ground the words out.

"I should have guessed." she sighed, leaning against the wall with a here-we-go-again air. "What has he done now?"

"A letter was delivered ta Sir Didymus ta be given to the Goblin King. He is still on crutches, so he asked me ta do the deliverin' for him. I was all over this castle tryin' ta find him, and where was he hidin'?"

"I have no idea."

"He was sleepin' with Sarah again!" Hoggle kicked the wall so hard it hurt his toe, and he had to balance on one foot. "He has got a room of his own, why don't he use it?"

Rosalinda didn't say anything, just knelt down and took a look at the dwarf's foot. "You didn't break the toe, but I think it will be sore for a few days. Don't do anything rash for a little while, alright?"

"Yah, okay." he groaned, putting weight on the foot carefully. It was terribly sore.

She smiled, and walked with him out to the gardens. She was shaken by the news of where Jareth had spent the night, but she was more curious about the letter that had been sent to him. A gut feeling told her who it was from, but the contents she had no idea about.

JSJSJS

Jareth had been awake for a little while and was quite aware of the fact that Hoggle had entered the room and put a letter on the bedside table. But he didn't make a move to read who it was from, he was far too comfortable where he was to entertain the idea of moving. Besides, Sarah was still asleep, and he didn't want to wake her.

But she did finally stir, murmured something he couldn't make out, and opened her eyes. She blinked a few times, stretched her legs out, and then looked up at Jareth. He smiled at her.

"Hello." she said, returning the smile.

"Hello, love." he brushed a stray lock of hair out of her eyes and wrapped it behind her ear. "Sleep well?"

"Um hm." she laid her head back down on his chest and ran her hand up his side, pulling herself closer to him. "Just had strange dreams. I think they were memories."

"Nothing bad, I hope?"

"No, just weird. And I was arguing with myself, my other self, just a little. I think I'm having a hard time settling everything in my head, it is still a muddle." she took in a deep breath, inhaling the odor of Jareth's shirt. It was sweet like the smell of cloves and cinnamon, and other things she couldn't name. "Are you having a hard time with it?"

He shook his head. "No, everything is going into place without a hitch. But then, I'm not fighting it."

"I am." she admitted.

"I'm used to all sorts of magic things going on around me, was born into a magical land, so I'm more accepting of it. You, on the other hand, are mortal and have only been exposed to magic for a very limited amount of time, and resist it."

"I'm trying to just let it flow, but it is hard. Last night I kept questioning myself about everything going on, why I had to see your memories." she fingered the pendant on his chest idly. "I didn't want to see them or share mine with you. I felt it was a breach of privacy."

"You argued with yourself?" he laughed. Such was a thing he would have expected from her. "It was not the case with me, there was no voice beyond the one that told me to keep an open mind. I did ask a few questions, and had to fight down the urge to go and kill that demon once or twice, but that was all. I couldn't help hearing your advice to me the last time I wanted to kill the demon."

Sarah thought back, pulling the memory off the shelf of her mind. "I warned you that it would be dangerous because you were not strong enough, something might go wrong and he might escape, that was what I told you."

Jareth smiled, glad that she was able to remember it so clearly. "It seems that things are settling down alright in there." he tapped her forehead. "I guess that means you know that the demon is still here, as is your father."

"Yes." she sighed, thinking about the last report Jareth had gotten from Jibber about her father. He was recovering, though slowly, and it was nothing short of a miracle. "I never asked about him before, I was so afraid that he had died, and couldn't endure the thought that he had. I know they say that knowing is better than not, but it was not so in my case."

"I understand." and he wasn't just saying that, sharing her memories allowed him to know her motives in everything, and to understand them as well. "You are thinking of the last report I got about his condition."

Sarah nodded, and she started to realize something. She had been so afraid of sharing memories with Jareth, was so afraid of knowing him and him knowing her through them. But now, knowing that they shared them the way they did, it was somehow comforting. They were closer, she was sure, than anyone had ever thought possible, and the thought made her deeply happy.

"And you are wondering if you can see him soon." he said just as the very words flowed across her mind.

"Yes. Could I?" she looked back up at him with her big green eyes. How he loved those eyes.

"Only on one condition." he said, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. Sarah saw it, and instantly became cautious.

"And what would that be?" she drew out each word slowly.

Jareth, with one swift move, wrapped his hands around her waist and drew her up to eye level. "If you will kiss me good morning."

Sarah found his condition to be most reasonable, and laid her lips against his. Another swift motion and he was on top of her, his arms wrapped tightly around her torso. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held his close.

"Good morning." she gasped once he had broken away. He smirked.

"Yes, it is a good morning." he said, rolling off of her and sitting up, his legs swung to the floor. He looked at the letter, wondered if he had spoken too soon about the morning being good, and picked it up, breaking the seal.

"What is that?" Sarah asked, playing with the long locks of golden hair that hung down his back.

"A royal invitation." he growled, his eyes reading the lines of fine penmanship.

"Are we going to a party?" she wasn't sure she liked the idea, it seemed too soon for her, after all her mind was still in a bit of a flurry.

"No, this is an invitation from Queen Clarissa, and she is inviting herself to my kingdom." he ran his fingers through his hair and tossed the letter down. Sarah got up on her knees and rested her chin on his left shoulder, wrapping her arms around his torso and lacing her fingers through his. She loved the feel of his hands, it was a shame, she thought, to keep them encased in leather all the time. "She is coming to take the demon back to her court for trial."

Sarah knew his feelings about the demon, how he would much rather just blast him to Oblivion and not go through all the trial nonsense, and she felt the same. She wanted Scorpius dead for what he had done to her and her family, and knew that if she asked Jareth to kill him he would obey without hesitation, but she wasn't keen on getting into trouble with the royalty of the Underground.

"I say you should let her take him, let her put him through a trial, though keep an eye on things just in case she pardons him." her words had a hidden meaning, but Jareth heard it as if it had been said outright.

"You want me to make sure he never walks out of that court a free demon."

Sarah didn't need to say anything. She wasn't a cold person, nor was she bent on revenge, she just didn't want that demon to get free and destroy another life, or come back and try to destroy hers all over again, and she was willing to do whatever had to be done to make sure it didn't happen.

"This is an unpleasant conversation to be having so early in the morning." Jareth said, calling a halt to it. He opened his palm and the gloves, which had been on the floor all night, flew into it. But Sarah grabbed them and threw them across the room with a cry of frustration.

"Why must you wear those stupid things? You have beautiful hands, why must you hide them?"

Jareth was shocked. He had never thought she hated the gloves. "I have worn them all my life, it is habit."

"What made you start?" she wormed around and sat beside him.

"That is a conversation for a later time. Right now I'm hungry, and want you to have breakfast with me." he ran his finger along her jaw. She shivered happily at the contact.

"If you like."

"I do." he leaned down and kissed her again, then vanished from the room, leaving her to clean herself up for the morning meal.


	24. Chapter 24

_Yay! Look at all the reviews! Thanks so much:)_

_I'm sorry it has taken so long to update, but this splint on my hand is really making typing difficult. It took me from last Friday to finish this chapter, argh! However, I will still press on, there are so many things I have lined up that are about to be set in motion!  
_

_Anni girl, I loved your thoughts on Queen Clarissa! They really made me laugh! I hadn't quite decided what Clarissa is going to look like, but now I'm thinking she will have a strong resemblance to Paris Hilton:D  
_

_Shadowfey, you know something? The part with Jareth's gloves was my favorite part too! In real life I like his gloves, but I can see where I would get annoyed with his wearing them all the time!  
_

_To everyone else who has left a review: THANK YOU! I would thank individually, but this rotten splint... SIGH!  
_

_Enjoy!  
_

* * *

"This is where my father is?" Sarah asked Jareth, looking at the ornate door as if she wanted to run from it. He had his hand on the handle, a hand without a glove on it, and he nodded.

"Yes. This is the sick room, he has been well cared for." he noticed her large eyes and pale face. "Would you prefer not to see him yet? There is no rush."

Sarah shook her head. "No, I do want to see him. I'm just... nervous, thats all. Last time I saw him he was-"

"I know, there is no need to tell me." Jareth saved her the trouble of going on, and he was rewarded with a grateful look. "Jibber will be in there with him. He may be a little, how shall I put it, stiff and cool towards you, but it is just his way. He is an excellent doctor, just not a very soft one."

The door opened, and Sarah made her feet move forward, and felt Jareth put a supportive hand on her arm. There, laying in a simple but comfortable bed, was Jake. His chest rose and fell with steady breathing, and a cloth lay across his face. Jibber, tall and very pale, stood tall and bowed to his king. Sarah noticed he looked at her with a suspicious eye.

"Jibber, show some respect for the Lady Sarah." Jareth said quietly but firmly. Jibber bowed his head, and Sarah decided that the words stiff was the perfect word to describe him.

But she wasn't concerned with what the doctor thought of her or what his manners towards her were like, she was there to see her father, and so gave all her attention to him.

"Is he awake?" she asked, sitting down on a stool by the bed. There were red marks on his hands, and she knew without being told that they were burns, though they had healed over the weeks of care.

"In jist a moment, Madam." Jibber said with his strong accent, pulling the cloth off of his face. Sarah took in a sharp breath, and felt Jareth move up close behind her.

"Dad!" Sarah looked at his face and felt sick. He was still recognizable as Jake, but there were dreadful scars and burn marks all over his features, and he looked much older than his fifty something years. "How did he survive?"

"He was almost dead when you wished him here, he wouldn't have survived had it not been for you. The scars will fade in time, and we can restore his appearance to what it was before the demon possessed him." Jareth put his hands on Sarah's shoulders, felt them shaking. "Would you like me to leave you?"

"In a moment, not just yet." Sarah reached out and touched her father's hand as his eyes flickered open. "Dad? Can you hear me?"

Jake looked around, not knowing where he was or who the strange people around him were. The tall pale man in a pointed cap with glasses perched on his long nose gave him a start, and the tall blond man with sharp features and mismatched eyes shook him to the core. It was the sound of Sarah's voice that kept him from going over the edge into screaming panic.

"Sarah?" he finally rested his eyes on her, sitting beside him, holding his hand. "Is that you?"

"Yes, it is." she couldn't see for the tears in her eyes.

"Where am I? Who is that guy?" he asked, looking pointedly at Jareth, who drew himself up to his full height with an air of irritation. He didn't like being referred to as 'that guy.'

Sarah looked up at Jareth and smiled. "He is Jareth, The Goblin King."

"Huh?" Jake looked confused, was thinking that he was in one of his little girl's fantasy parties. "And what does that make you? The Goblin Queen?"

"All in good time, Mr. Williams." Jareth gazed adoringly at Sarah. Jake just stared, confused and not sure if anything was really happening. Had he gone mad? Or was he dead?

"There is much to explain. Jareth, would you-"

"Of course." he kissed her gently. "If you should need anything just call, I will hear. Come Jibber, let us leave them."

"I vill be close by should zee patient need my zervices." Jibber bowed his head and walked out ahead of Jareth, leaving Sarah alone with her father.

JSJSJS

"Are there a great many preparations to be made for Queen Clarissa's visit, Majesty?" Sir Didymus stood before his king in the study, though he still needed a crutch to lean on.

"None whatsoever." Jareth said coldly, glancing over the letter from that same queen. "She is coming to collect a prisoner, nothing more, why should there be anything by way of special arrangements for such an occasion?"

"What if she expects a turn out?"

"Then she will be disappointed, and it won't be my fault." he tossed the letter aside and picked up his fancy pen and dipped it in ink and proceeded to write on a blank sheet of paper. "She invited herself here without warning, will be here in just a few days, there is no time to prepare anything beyond a possible lunch and a place for her and some of her entourage to stay the night if such is her wish. I can't stop her from coming, but I'm not going to beat myself to death to make a show for her. I'm not her puppet!"

Sir Didymus heard the note of finality in his master's voice, and said no more on the subject. "What are your orders for the day, sire?"

"Beyond the usual I can't think of anything, sir knight." he continued to scribble furiously, never once looking up. "I have a personal letter to get off to my jewelery maker, and it will take me a little while to compose it properly, so my morning is taken up. By the way, Sarah is with her father right now, and I want them left in peace for as long as possible. They both had their lives ripped apart by the demon, now is the time for them to pick up the pieces."

"Sire, do forgive my bringing up the subject again, but with Queen Clarissa coming there is the matter of the Lady Rosalinda to be considered." he said carefully. Jareth stopped writing in mid sentence, his eyes looked straight ahead without seeing what was in front of them. He frowned.

"Yes, I hadn't thought of that." he sat back in his chair with a huff, instinctively reaching down to tug at his gloves, only they weren't there. They had been left on the floor in Sarah's room. "I should talk to her about that. Is she within this morning?"

Sir Didymus said he had seen her in the gardens with Brother Hoggle a while ago, so Jareth sent a crystal to summon her. "If you would kindly leave us, Sir Didymus. I need to speak privately with her."

"Of course!"he bowed low, and limped out the door, pausing only to bow once again to the lady in question when she appeared suddenly.

Jareth stood up and pulled out a chair for her, closing the door so they could speak without being overheard. She sat quietly, hands folded in her lap, waiting for him to start. He noticed the look in her eyes, a hurt but resigned look, and it cut him deeply. But he did his best to keep his attention on the subject at hand.

"I had a letter from the High Queen today, informing me that she is coming to take the demon away." he perched on the edge of the desk, brushing his hair out of his eyes.

"That was the one Hoggle delivered to you this morning?" she wished she had bitten her tongue, but the words came out almost of their own accord. Jareth's eyes dropped to the floor, knowing that she knew where he had been.

"Yes, it was." he cleared his throat, and got back on the subject at hand. "I am concerned about you in this matter. Should you like to be elsewhere at the time of her visit? I could arrange for you to stay at my retreat in the Northern Canyons for a day or so, if such would please you."

Anyone else in her position would have questioned his motives in offering to send them away right then. They would have asked if it was purely out of concern for their comfort, or if there was a deeper meaning, as in wanting them out of the way because of the presence of a certain green eyed lady with whom the King was in love. But not Rosalinda, she knew his concern was genuinely for herself, and she was grateful for it.

"It is very kind of you, Jareth." she smiled. "But I prefer to remain here. Who knows, you might need me for something. If you are worried about some unpleasantness on my part then you need have no fear; I will do nothing to blacken your name."

"And I will do everything in my power to keep yours from being blackened anymore than it already has been." he wished he could have done something, anything, to have kept her name from being disgraced in the first place.

JSJSJS

"I swear, Dad, it is all true!" Sarah was laughing at the look on his face, one of such complete bewilderment that she was sure he was thinking she had taken leave of her senses.

It was late in the evening, the sun was setting in a brilliant display of colors, but neither of the two bothered to look out the window to see it.

"You wished away my son, your own baby brother, and that blond haired dude took him?" he tried to keep all the facts straight in his mind. He had been possessed by a demon, he knew that the supernatural was all too real, but somehow it was still beyond him to believe the fantastic story that his daughter had told him. "And then you came here to get him back, and you won?"

Sarah nodded, tracing her fingers over the Celtic knot looking embroidery on the blankets. "More or less, Dad. Didn't you notice how my whole attitude towards Toby changed so drastically in just a few hours? When you left with Karen I was ready and willing to do anything to get away from babysitting him, but the next day I was the doting sister to him. Remember?"

"I guess I do, it was all just so long ago."

"You know it would have taken something really big to cause such a complete attitude change in me." Good heavens did he know that! "And having to risk my life running the Labyrinth to get Toby was what brought it about."

"Looking back I do remember wondering, ever so briefly, why you had changed so much in such a short time, but I never got around to asking you about it. I suppose it is just as well, I wouldn't have believed a word you said. I'm still not quite sure I do, to be honest!"

Sarah couldn't blame him, such a story was, she knew, a very large bite to swallow. But, given time, he would chew on it until he could digest it, and he would come to know that every word she had said was true.

"By the way, I do want to know something." he squeezed her hand. "This may just be my paranoid fatherly ways coming out, but I had the feeling that there was something between you and the blond dude Garth." Sarah nearly choked with laughter on the name, ducked her head so he wouldn't see. "Does he have a hold on you?"

"Oh, does he ever!" she quickly worked up the nerve to tell him just what kind of hold 'Garth' had on her. "He loves me, Dad. I think he wants to marry me!" the last words came out as an excited squeak for only just as she was saying them did she actually come to realize that they were true.

"The dude that stole your brother wants to marry you!" he shouted, getting quite agitated. What kind of people was his daughter hanging out with?

"And, now that I think about it, I want to marry him." and she did ever mean it! If she married him she would be the happiest girl in the whole of the Underground, and having her father back to top it off she knew she would have everything that mattered to her right in the palm of her hands.

"You want to marry the dude who stole your brother!" it was beyond belief, he knew he had to be dreaming. Either that or his only daughter had taken a dive off the deep end! Pity, she looked so normal too, except for that blue velvet gown that looked like it had stepped right out of the pages of a fairy story.

"He didn't steal Toby in the normal sense of the word, he took him because I wished it, so I am the only one to blame." she explained patiently, her eyes sparkling like diamonds. "And, yes, I want to marry him and I'm more than sure that he wants to marry me. Please don't get all upset, there is nothing wrong with Jareth, nothing you should worry about. He might look a little strange-"

"Honestly, honey, he looks like he stepped off the cover of a David Bowie album!" he blurted out, unable to hold it back any longer.

"But that is neither here nor there! Inside is what counts, and I know him better than anyone. He is kind, gentle, loving... a bit arrogant, pompous and annoying at times I admit, but those are part of what make him so lovable to me." she saw him roll his eyes, he wasn't buying it. "Dad, can't you see that we were made for each other? I'm every bit as annoying as he is, I have a temper to match. You should be glad that we are so well suited!"

"My darling, I will take your word for what kind of a man he is, I know I can trust you in that. I mean, I'm not the one marrying him! But what I really want to know is this one little thing." he looked her in the eye, dead serious. She assumed the proper attitude, and waited for the question. "Will he make you happy?"

"Yes, he will." she answered, meaning each word, believing in each word. "He is the only one for me, and I know that in my heart."

He nodded, knowing she spoke the truth, and laid back on his pillows. Jibber came in, saying it was late and that the patient needed his rest. Sarah was just getting up to leave when her father grasped her hand and asked her to stay for just a moment longer.

"Yes, dad?" she sat back down.

"Sarah, I just want to know one thing more. Why did you stay even though the demon was using me to hurt you? Why did you stay for so long?"

Sarah felt her eyes grow misty, the painful memories coming to the surface for an instant before she fought them back. "Because, no matter what you did to me, no matter what the demon made you do to me, you were still my dad. There are somethings that can't be killed no matter how many times they are stabbed in the heart, and love of a father is one of them."

For the first time in so long Sarah kissed her father on the cheek, and left him to sleep peacefully.


	25. Chapter 25

_Boy, did I ever strike a funny nerve with that bit about David Bowie! I know that a million people have used it, and I know that it is completely predictable, but how could I help it? I just LOVE him as Jareth, totally cool!_

_Anyway, I have slaved long and hard over this chapter, and I hope y'all enjoy it. Things are starting to build up for the coming of the High Queen Clarissa... and there will be a SHOCKING surprise with it! I just hope y'all like it, for I have planned it all through the writing of this story:)_

_Oh, my hand is getting better, I still have it in a splint, but it feels better each day and my typing speed has improved greatly!_

_Enjoy this chapter... I need not command because I KNOW you will;)_

* * *

Jareth was being very secretive, and Sarah wasn't the only one to notice. The whole kingdom was wondering just what was up with him, and every single person had their different opinions. Some thought he had gone slightly paranoid, and the way he was always looking over his shoulder was proof. Others thought he was on a secret mission from the High Queen, and his letters written in invisible ink were proof. But, it was his sneaking out of the castle in the middle of the night on three occasions, dressed in black and wearing a hood over his head, that convinced most everyone that he had some dark and terrible secret, and everyone had their own guess as to what it might be.

Sarah had noticed his attitude during dinner after she had left her father. She had tried to engage him in conversation, but he wasn't able to concentrate on what she was saying for more than a few seconds before his mind wandered off again. He had walked her back to her room as usual, but his kiss goodnight felt more like she was kissing a cousin and not the man she was crazy about.

Needless to say she was worried, but she wasn't going to start jumping to all kinds of conclusions. Her own guess, and she was determined to keep it only as a guess and not let it grow to certainty, was that the impending visit of the High Queen was heavily on his mind and there were certain things he needed to take care of before she arrived.

But then rumors came to her ear, rumors of his having a secret lovechild, and it bothered her deeply. She told herself over and over again that it was nonsense, laughed it off, and tried to go on with her days in a normal fashion. But, a few nights later she couldn't get the horrible question out of her mind: Did he have a lovechild, or worse, a lover on the side?

After tossing and turning for what seemed like hours on end, terrible possibilities for Jareth's stranger than usual behavior running through her mind, she got up and started pacing the room, and when that didn't help she decided to sit out on her balcony for a little while. Perhaps the cool night air would do her some good.

Only it didn't, and the moon was just bright enough to keep her awake. As she sat there, trying to enjoy the lovely night but not succeeding, she heard something in the gardens below. Looking down, keeping just out of sight should anyone be down there, she watched in amazement as Jareth came out of an arbor. She knew it was him, even though his whole body covered in a black cloak, she would have recognized him anywhere by the way he moved.

He looked one way, then another, and proceeded quickly and quietly out of the garden. Sarah hopped up and ran out of her room and down the hall to the tower at the far end. From there she could see the whole of Goblin City from three different angles, and she soon spotted the dark lurking figure darting quietly from one structure to another as if trying to confuse any possible watchers.

In one building he went, only to come out of another a few moments later. Sarah suspected there were secret passages under the city for him to do such things. Somehow using magic to whisk himself from one place to another just didn't seem likely. Why would he go through all the trouble of sneaking into the city under cover of darkness of he was going to use magic later on?

After a while he disappeared into a little shack and didn't come back out again. At least she didn't actually see him come out. She stood there for a moment longer, her fingernails tapping on the stone window frame, wondering what to do, when she noticed that a staircase had materialized to her right. She gazed up and saw that it led to an opening in the ceiling.

"You weren't there before." she said to the stairs as she took a few careful steps up. When they didn't vanish under her feet she continued up to the opening.

The opening led to the top of the tower that looked down over the main door and portcullis. Sarah walked up to the battlements, which were chest high to her (probably to make sure no little goblins could fall to their death below, she mused) and had the most breathtaking view of the city spread out before her. Looking up she felt like the stars and moon were just an arms length away from her grasp.

But she wasn't interested in that sort of thing, all that she could think of was Jareth. What was he hiding? Was he hiding anything at all? Why so secretive?

Casting her eyes back down on the city she watched for any sign of the king.

JSJSJS

Jareth had no idea he was being watched by Sarah. If he had looked up and saw her he would have darted right back into the castle and spent the whole night coming up with some reasonable explanation. But he didn't see her, and went on his mission in blissful ignorance.

He loved running around in the dark, covered in a black cloak, going from one house to another via the secret passageways. It felt like he was a child again, sneaking around the castle on his various little missions that ranged from the theft of sweets to getting out to play with his goblin friends without his father or mother noticing.

Only this time he was sneaking out for a much different reason, and it had nothing to do with having fun with the boys on the block!

At last, deciding that he had run around enough to confuse anyone who might be watching him, he went into a little shack, crept past the sleeping goblins, opened a secret wall and slipped into it and down a flight of dusty steps which brought him to a door. It was far too small for him to fit through without great discomfort, but he forced his way in, managing to keep his shoulders from being wedged in so tightly that he would have to use magic to get free again.

Standing in the room was a goblin, fat, round and rather plain looking at first sight, but when he smiled he became almost too cute to stand.

"Ah, yer Majester!" the little goblin bowed low, his nose touching his knees, at the appearance of his King.

"Hello, Cribble." he said, throwing back the hood, his hair standing out wildly. The room was lit only by a few candles, but it was enough to show the small table and chairs that sat around, each covered in rubbish of one kind or another. The ceiling was so low that Jareth felt the top of his skull press painfully against it if he stood to his full height, so he quickly brushed a stool off and sat down on it. "Have you completed what I commissioned?"

"Ya, ya!" he said excitedly, his little voice scratchy and rough, a perfect match for his outward appearance, Jareth thought to himself. Cribble bounced up on a stool next to a forge, the forge being the cleanest place in the room, and removed from a hidden panel a small crude box. "Yer request in here."

Jareth reached for it, but Cribble drew it back just out of his range, causing the king to raise an eyebrow. Anyone else who saw it would have cowered, but not that goblin. He knew he was safe from a great deal of the king's displeasure, knew exactly how far he could push him before getting into serious trouble.

"Na ah! I get pay first, then give item." he pointed to the table where a money box was set out. Jareth eyed it and then the goblin in turn.

"Don't you trust me, Cribble?" he asked, his voice dangerously soft and kind. Unfortunately it still didn't have the desired effect, and the goblin just shook his head.

"Cribble trust only when money is down!" he pointed again to the box.

Groaning, Jareth pulled out a little bag and dumped half of the contents into the box, then glared at the goblin. "I give half, you show me item. I like item, I pay remaining half. Agreed?"

Outwitted, Cribble handed over the box and watched as his master looked at it, waiting to see any signs of displeasure from him. But, to his delight, there were none, only a look of pure delight. And, more importantly, the rest of the money was dumped into the box. A nice little pile of golden coins that shone nearly as bright as his eyes.

"It is perfect, my dear Cribble! Now I know why I keep you in my services, however much you may annoy me." he pulled the hood back over his head and started for the door.

"You keep me because I only one who get yer jewelery made perfect. You Bog me, no more pretty shiny things!" he laughed, closing the box and hiding it under a loose floorboard.

"So true. Only do take some of that money and hire a housekeeper! This place needs some tender loving care right away!" Jareth said while brushing a spider web out of his face. Quietly he left the room via a second door, made his way up to the ground floor, and went out by the back door. He thanked his lucky stars that he hadn't hit his head on that door jamb again, and hurried out into the city.

JSJSJS

Sarah had been watching for Jareth for ages, and she hadn't seen him leave the shack. The night air, which had been so warm before, had cooled and left her feeling chilly. Sighing heavily, but refusing to leave the spot until she saw Jareth, she wrapped her arms tightly around herself and leaned against the battlements.

"I just wish I had a heavier robe!" she muttered to herself, shivering and rubbing her hands up and down her arms. The sleepwear she had chosen was, indeed, a bad choice for a chilly night. A deep rose pink thing, all floaty light fabric and lace, it was perfectly suitable for being indoors, not outdoors. But, then, she hadn't expected to be standing there spying on Jareth all night, so how could she have known it was a bad choice?

It was all a perfect recipe for anger, and angry she quickly became. So angry, in fact, that she never felt the dark figure come up behind her, never saw him lay his hands on the walls on either side of her, and never realized that he was there until a soft voice whispered in her ear.

"Chilly, love?" the words were spoken soft and low, but it made Sarah's insides quake in terror. Her heart jumped and raced in her chest as she spun around and came face to face with Jareth. His eyebrow quirked in a manner that Sarah took to be curiosity.

"J-J-Jareth!" she managed, her voice shaking from the shock of seeing him. "W-What do you here?"

"I think that I am the one who should be asking that question." he smirked in amusement when she dropped her eyes. "Were you sleepwalking, or just enjoying the view?"

Sarah saw that she was blocked from getting away, and did the only thing she could: she turned her back on him and faced the city. Not that she was looking at it, she was far too flustered to take notice of anything, and her mind was racing to find some explanation for being outside at such an hour.

"Or could it be that my beloved was..." he moved his head down, brushing her left ear with his lips. "...spying on me?"

Sarah shivered, and it wasn't because of the cold. If anything she was far too warm right then, burning with humiliation from being discovered, and because he was standing so close to her, driving her crazy. But she was determined to make sure he didn't see either facts, and put on a brave face.

"And what if I was spying?" she asked boldly, hiding well, or so she thought, her nervousness.

"I just want to know why." he spoke into her ear again. With his sharp Fae eyes he could see that it was turning red, so was her neck. He allowed himself a smile, he just loved teasing her.

"Perhaps I have been hearing rumors about secret visits to the city you have been making every night for the last three nights." she knew she was treading on dangerous ground on which it would be very easy to anger him, but she was feeling more and more brash with him tickling her ear, which was irritating the heck out of her!

"Ah, you mean the ones about my having a secret lover or some such nonsense. My dear, I thought you knew better than to listen to the idle rumors spread about by goblins!" he chuckled, taking one hand off the wall to brush the long hair away from her neck. "But, I suppose, it has shown that you are wildly jealous of me."

"I am not!" she said stubbornly, feeling at once like a fifteen year old again, trying to ignore his hand smoothing down her arm.

"Oh, but you are! Why else would you let rumor drive you to stand out here in the cold and watch me while I attend to my private affairs?"

If Sarah had an answer for him it was dashed like a wave against the rocks when he started kissing her neck. Though she tried to hold onto it all her irritation melted away swiftly. She leaned back against him, unable to resist, and closed her eyes. She felt him wrap his arms around her, blocking out the sudden cold breeze with his cloak, holding her tight.

"I-I- could I ask just one thing?"

"Um?" he worked his way up and behind her ear.

"What were you doing out there tonight?"

Jareth, not wanting to ruin the perfect moment, took his gloves off and took her left hand in his. With his right he took the crude box out of his pocket and opened it, carefully taking out the contents. Sarah felt something cool slip onto her ring finger. She moved her hand out into the moonlight and saw the most beautiful ring sitting against her skin. It was made the most perfect silver, the band carefully formed into a delicate Celtic knot pattern, and set on it was a small blue stone cut in the shape of a teardrop, and glowing with an internal fire.

"Will you marry me?" for the first time he was really asking for something, not demanding it. It was a strange feeling for him, a hopeful one with an undercurrent of uncertainty. What if she said no? What if she said yes? He felt as if his whole life hung in the balance.

Sarah felt at once like laughing and crying. Had he really asked her? She knew he had, but it seemed to wonderful to be real. It felt as if it was all the most perfect dream, and she feared that when she answered it would all end, and she would wake up and find herself back in her old room, surrounded by the things that made up her childhood, and all that would remain of the dream were memories.

"Yes, I will." she said at last, waiting for the dream to end, to fall down around her.

But it didn't. It was all real, and she found herself shedding silent tears of joy while Jareth kissed her.

For that moment everything was perfect, everything was right, and there was no one in the whole world but the two of them.

* * *

_I can't help it, I just LOVE romance between Jareth and Sarah! Really, if ever two characters were made for each other they were:)_


	26. Chapter 26

_Thank you a millions times for all the lovely reviews! I'm just in heaven:D Sorry it took me so long to get this one up, I have just been really busy. Good news is that my finger is out of the splint and I'm in physical therapy to get it moving again. YAY!_

_Shadowfey913, idea for the ring didn't come from any one particular place. I just have always had a love of Celtic knot work, and love looking at Celtic jewelery, and decided that Sarah should have something along those lines. Of course the chances are that no mortal could make anything as perfectly fine and delicate as what I have envisioned in my head:) As for the stone, there is nothing like it in the Aboveground to compare it with, so use your imagination!_

_Samurai Tsundere, I have never read any of the other Labyrinth novels, though I have looked up plot summaries, and I too was very disappointed the way that the story went. I mean, not one bit of SarahxJareth? It is just so wrong! Anyway, your review was so kind, one of the very nicest I have ever had, and I'm glad you liked the story enough to stay up till 6am reading it:) Also, I too have been known to play 'As the World Falls Down' over and over again, though I don't think I have ever done it for 3 hours straight!_

_Taria Robotnik, So glad you love the story! And what more can you ask for? I know the answer to that: MORE! LOL!_

_loonynerdxd9 and guests, thank you soooooooo much for reading:)_

_Hope y'all like this chapter. It won't be long before the High Queen comes in and... I'm not saying! MWAHAHAHA!_

* * *

The silence was deafening. The atmosphere so thick it could be cut with a knife. The mood and overall feeling in the room was one of mutual discomfort and uneasiness between the two men who sat there, staring at each other, unmoving and unspeaking.

Jake was grasping the arms of his chair so tightly his knuckles were white. He hated to admit it, but he had gone into this trying to unnerve the guy in front of him, and he wasn't succeeding one bit. If anything he felt like their positions had been reversed, making him the one who was being examined.

Jareth sat across the small table from Jake, his arms crossed firmly over his chest, his striking eyes gazing steadily at the father of the woman he was engaged to. He was every bit as nervous as Jake, but he was much better at disguising it. After all, he had had a thousand or so years to practice, and how many had the mortal man had? Fifty something?

"So, how long have you ruled this place?" Jake blurted out so suddenly that Jareth jumped.

"Seven hundred and seventy-five years." he answered, wondering if Jake's question just happened to coincide with his train of thought on how long he had been practicing disguising his innermost feelings.

Jake's mouth fell open and then snapped shut. He was dumbfounded by the answer, given without a trace of falsehood. Was he really telling the truth, or was he just that good at lying, or was he completely bonkers?

Jareth grinned a little at the other man's shocked silence. Perhaps, if nothing else, this meeting would prove to be very amusing. Sarah had pleaded with both of them to meet, to get to know each other a little, and he had been less than willing to do so. What would it accomplish? She wanted her father's blessing for their upcoming marriage, but Jareth had argued that it didn't matter; he would marry her with or without Jake's consent, it wouldn't bother him. But, she had argued back, it would bother her if he didn't at least try to get consent, and, to his everlasting irritation, he had given in.

"You don't look to be that old." Jake said after regaining control of himself.

"I should hope not! I would hate to think that a man of my one thousand and ten years would look anything like a lad of only seven seventy-five." he held his head up with an unmistakable air of pride, his hair falling just over his eyes in a way that was most annoying to Jake.

"Why don't you get that hair cut?" he shifted in his seat. "Make you look more like a normal human than a hippie."

"I have no idea what a 'hippie' is, Mr. Williams, though I must say I don't like the sound of the word one bit. And, furthermore, I am Fae, not human, so why would I want to look like one?"

Jake was on losing ground and he knew it. His opinion of the guy was not a favorable one. He was arrogant, very proud, pompous, snide, and deeply annoying, and why Sarah wanted to waste her life with the likes of him was something he couldn't, and frankly didn't want to understand.

But he had never seen Sarah looking so happy before, and though he didn't understand why she had fallen for the guy, he wasn't about to do anything that might serve to take it away from her. So, swallowing his own pride, which was taking a beating under Jareth, he changed his tactics.

"Jareth, I'm not here to argue with you." he said in a decided tone. Jareth looked surprised. "Sarah asked me to meet you, to make friends, and that is what I'm going to do. Or, at least, that is what I am going to try to do. I hope I can count on you to do the same."

"Suppose, for arguments sake, that we are not able to become friends. What then?"

"I would be sorry, but I will not be your enemy. Not when it means so much to my only daughter."

"Well then, we may at least be civilized." Jareth held his hand out across the table. Jake looked at it, wondered about why he was wearing gloves all the time, and clasped it firmly in his. "Just so you know, I do this for Sarah's sake. If not for her I wouldn't even consider trying to be friends with a... mortal commoner. No offense, Mr. Williams, but in terms of rank and status I'm afraid that is what you are."

"Well, at least you are honest about it." he withdrew his hand and leaned back. "Now, tell me a bit about yourself, Jareth."

JSJSJS

Sarah had, in order to be away from the castle for the meeting between her father and Jareth, asked if Rosalinda would be so kind as to show her where she lived, and to her delight the Fae nurse had invited her there for lunch.

It was a lovely place situated right on the inner wall of Goblin City. A white stone cottage, quite large in comparison to the other little shacks that made up the dwellings of the goblins, sat at the end of a short cobblestone walkway. The main building was two stories high, and a tower on the right was three stories. On either side of the walk were flowers and plants, mainly those used in medicines and spells Rosalinda informed her, and the whole place was placed behind a low stone wall.

"How long have you lived here?" Sarah asked as she stepped inside the cottage. It felt warm and comfortable, very much like home, and everything was perfectly neat and clean.

"Seven hundred and fifty years." she motioned Sarah to sit down at a little table covered in a pale blue lace cloth, the same shade as the curtains she noted. "This was home to me during my time at the Fae School of Nursing, and it has remained my home for a long time."

"Were you born here in Jareth's kingdom?" Sarah watched as Rosalinda made a pot of tea and placed some muffins on a plate.

"Oh, no! I was born in the Kingdom of the Mist, in Wraith City to be exact. It used to sit right beside the Labyrinth Kingdom. They, together with a third kingdom, made up one of the most powerful places in the whole of the Underground." she set the tea things on a tray and moved it to the table, then sat down and poured a cup for Sarah.

"Thank you." she took it with a smile. It smelled lovely and tasted even better. But she didn't enjoy it to the fullest because of something that her friend had said, something she couldn't help wondering at. "You said that it used to sit beside the Labyrinth. Doesn't it do so anymore?"

"No, not anymore." she sighed sadly, taking a bite out of her muffin and chewing it slowly. Sarah had a bad feeling about what she would say next, it crept up on her like a sinister shadow. "You see, the Kingdom of Mist was completely destroyed centuries ago, and when it fell I fled."

"How did it happen?" Sarah asked, unable to quite grasp the idea of a whole kingdom falling just like that. Somehow it seemed to her that such a thing should be impossible in the Underground.

"The king tried to gain greater powers through the uses of black magic. It went beyond his control, soon it controlled him, and it tore the kingdom apart." there was a sadness in her eyes that she couldn't hide. Sarah felt her heart twist painfully at the sight. "I lost everything in one night, as did everyone living there. There were not many survivors, only a few who scattered into the wilderness, but their numbers are not known.

"I had no place to go, no one would offer sanctuary to one from that kingdom for fear that they had been contaminated by the black magic. When Jareth found out that I was turned away from every door he sought me out, gave me this place and a means to live, and here I have been ever since." she wiped a tear off her white cheek. "I owe my happiness, my everything, to him."

Sarah felt her heart go out to Rosalinda, wondering how the beautiful lady was able to stand such a horrible loss in her life. Such a thing would have devastated her to an unbearable extent, she was sure it would have killed her. But Rosalinda hadn't given in to despair, she had pressed on and found reasons to live. She had an inner strength that Sarah found truly amazing, it made her feel weak in comparison.

She had been fingering her ring throughout the story, and Rosalinda took notice of it. "Where did you get that?"

"Oh, this?" Sarah held her hand up. She didn't mean to sound boastful, but she couldn't keep the pride and happiness out of her voice when she told her friend that Jareth had proposed to her the night before. "He is with my father now, getting to know him. It is one of the reasons that I asked to see your home today, I wanted to remove myself for a few hours and not interfere. I'm hoping that dad will give us his blessing."

"I'm sure he will." Rosalinda stood up and went to the stove, wiping it off with a towel though it didn't need it. "Once he gets to know Jareth a little he will see just how much he loves you. I know that no father could or would stand in the way of such a great happiness for his daughter."

Sarah smiled, but it faded quickly as she watched her friend move stiffly around the stove, wiping at spills and stains that were not there. "Rosalinda, is there something wrong?"

"No." she said rather too quickly and sharply, affirming there was something wrong. Her jerky motions slowed to a standstill, and her head bowed low. She spoke quietly, so softly that Sarah almost didn't hear her. "I-I-its just that I did have someone, once upon a time, but he... he fell in love with another. And I see so much of what I had hoped my future would be when I see you and Jareth and your father."

Sarah got up and put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring back painful memories. Please forgive me."

Rosalinda looked at her with tear filled eyes and managed a smile. "It isn't your fault, those memories come and go of their own will. I'm the one to blame for not being able to put the past behind me."

Pulling a silk handkerchief out of the pocket of her soft green gown, Sarah wiped the tears off of Rosalinda's cheeks, and then hugged her tightly. "You are much more strong than I would be in your situation. I would probably being having murderous thoughts at the man who went for another girl."

"No, don't think ill of him, ever!" she said in a commanding voice, one which Sarah got the feeling was used to being obeyed. "Though I was hurt by his not being able to love me I won't have anything said against him. He is a good man, a truly good man, and it would be wrong to say or think anything bad about him."

Sarah nodded, but she couldn't help feeling anger at the man who had thrown away such a treasure as Rosalinda was.

JSJSJS

Ok, so Jareth looked like David Bowie, his hair was a mess, his clothes were too fancy, and he was very vain. He was also WAY too proud, stiflingly arrogant, much too flamboyant, and the list of things against him just went on and on!

But there were some good points that even Jake couldn't overlook, however much Jareth's cons annoyed him. He was very intelligent, his wit was sharp and quick, and there was a decided air of a good hearted man about him. And, most importantly, he loved Sarah very much, much more than Jake would have thought possible.

"Beats me why, but I like you, Jareth." Jake told him after listening to tales about his life and family. Jareth didn't know if the man was being sarcastic or really meant it. "Normally I would have thrown a man such as yourself right out of my front door, especially if he came around asking to marry my daughter. But I couldn't make myself do that to you."

"You wouldn't be able to do it even if you tried, you are not nearly strong enough." Jareth smiled. He felt like he was making a good impression on the man... at least he hoped so.

"Perhaps not, but you would have to give me credit for trying." Jake stood up slowly from his chair and took a few steps towards his bed, intent on getting a glass of water that sat there. Just as his legs were about to give out he felt a strong arm go around him, holding him up as he continued the last few yards. "Does the king normally give aid to a mere mortal commoner?"

"No. You are an exception." he helped him sit down on the bed and handed him his water. A knock sounded on the door. "Enter!"

The door opened and Sarah stepped inside, glancing around carefully as if expecting to see the aftermath of a war. When she saw her father sitting there with Jareth nearby she smiled. "Well? How do you get along?"

Jareth and Jake looked at each other, then back at her. "Quite well, surprisingly!" they said at the same time.

"In fact, though many would think I was crazy to allow such a thing, I think I am going to enjoy having him for a son-in-law."

It took a few seconds for the words to sink in, and then Sarah flew across the room and threw herself into her father's arms. She couldn't believe that he had actually agreed to her marrying Jareth, not that she wouldn't have married him even if her father had disagreed to the idea, but it just made everything so much sweeter.

"Thank you!" she kissed his cheek, and then turned her attention to Jareth. He wrapped his arms around her, lifting her clean off the ground, and buried his face in her neck, too happy for words. He had no idea how he had managed to get on Jake's good side without the aid of a spell or two.

At that moment Sir Didymus walked in on the happy scene. He had a letter in his hand, but he decided it could wait for a few moments and tucked it into his vest.

"I see before my eyes a most happy family!" he yapped. Jake looked at him, unsure of what to think of a fox looking creature wearing a colorful outfit, but Jareth didn't seem to think it was that strange and so he decided there must be nothing wrong with it.

"We are about to be." Jareth lowered Sarah to the ground, but kept his arms around her. "Sir Didymus, get out your parchment and quill, it is time to start planning a wedding!"

* * *

_Voila! Another chapter up! I will get to work on the next one ASAP! Until then, enjoy!_


	27. Chapter 27

_This chapter is a slightly shorter one than usual, but I didn't want to give away too much of what is going on just yet:)  
_

_Samurai Tsundere, You are just so encouraging! Thank you so much:) I spent part of yesterday listening to that song... *sighs happily*! I'm not a huge David Bowie fan, but I do LOVE everything he had to do with Labyrinth;)_

_Shadowfey913, the contents of said letter are revealed in this chapter...:)_

_Taria Robotnik, glad I made you laugh:D_

* * *

Sir Didymus did eventually deliver the letter, though he wished he didn't have to. Somehow, no matter what, hearing from Queen Clarissa always put Jareth in a really bad mood, and this time was no exception.

All through dinner that night Jareth poked at his food and drank way too much wine. Sarah watched him from across the long table in the dining room while she made her way through her delicious first course which tasted a whole lot like chicken enchiladas, but was called 'thin bread rolled fowl soaked in spicy sauce' by the goblin cook. Far to long a name, and rather drab, she decided to call it enchiladas anyway.

After Jareth had gone through three glasses of the house red she spoke up. "Don't you think you've had enough, dear?" saying the words sounded to her like an old married woman who was getting on her husband for his bad drinking habits.

"Oh, yes, I've had enough alright! But what can I do? She is not someone I can just say 'Hey, sorry, you can't come here because I don't want you to!" he shoved his plate away, poured himself another glass and took a big gulp. Sarah looked at him, her fork hovering halfway between the plate and her mouth, completely confused. "Wish to heaven that I could, don't get me wrong, but she is a most demanding person. Not one bit like her father, he was a reasonable man."

"Um, what are you talking about?" she put the fork down before the sauce dripped onto her lap.

"Aren't we talking about the same thing?" he held his goblet out to the side and eyed her. She looked so pretty with the light of the chandelier illuminating her features, was quite enough to take his mind off the topic running circles in his mind.

"I don't think so. I was talking about you drinking so much wine, you are talking about some woman." Sarah waited for him to answer her. When he didn't, and that faraway look didn't leave him, she snapped her fingers. "Hey, Jareth?"

Still he didn't move, so she got up and walked to his end of the table. His eyes were the only thing that moved, watching her closely. She waved her hand in his face. "Are you still here? Hello?"

Quick as a wink the wine goblet vanished from his hand and he reached out to take hold of her wrist. She cried out in surprise when he expertly pulled her to him, twisted her about, and made her land right in his lap, her legs draped over the armrest and head leaning against his left shoulder.

"I can hear you better from right here, love." he laid his right hand on her waist. She shuddered. "Now, what were you saying?"

"Something about you drinking too much." she played with the black lace cravat at his throat. He was looking at her in that way again, the way that was a perfect blend of passion, lust and love. It was the look that drove her crazy. "Dare I say that the wine has gone to your head?"

"You dare not say. It takes quite a bit to get a Fae as powerful as me drunk... quite a bit." he took her hand and kissed the fingertips and palm.

"How much?" she asked, trying to keep her sanity. It was hard to keep her mind straight with him kissing her, it just wanted to wander off and lose itself forever.

"If I were to drink about twenty gallons of this stuff in one sitting then I would get a bit tipsy. I need something much more potent, like Everpure, to get me drunk, and still it would take a gallon or two to make it happen." his face had been slowly lowering towards hers as he spoke in his most seductive voice, and his lips were just brushing hers when she forced herself to turn away. He looked shocked, as if she had slapped him across the face. "Did I do something wrong? Don't you want me to kiss you?"

"Oh, you didn't do anything wrong!" she looked him lovingly in the eyes. "And I do want you to kiss me, I love it when you do, but I wanted to ask what has been on your mind before I forgot. You have a way of making me forget what is foremost in my mind."

He chuckled, glad that he had such an affect on her, and sat back up. "What is on my mind is Clarissa's visit."

"It was she you were talking about a little while ago?"

"Yes. I got another letter from her, informing me that she will be here tomorrow to collect the demon." he shifted, wrapping both arms around her tightly. "The big problem is that I have no idea how long she will stay. I had hoped that we would be married at the opening of the week, but she says that her stay will be an indefinite one, it could last for a week or more. So..." he trailed off, giving her a look that said it all.

"We will have to put off the wedding for a little while." she sighed. It dawned on her just how much she wanted to get married, she honestly couldn't wait to start her life with Jareth. She wasn't event thinking about the fact that he was a king and she would be queen, it had nothing to do with that, she just wanted him and nothing else.

"Will it bother you?"

"No, not a short delay. After all, we have forever... at least you do." a sudden question chilled her to the bone. "I'm mortal. Do I have forever?"

"Darling, take that frightened look off your face, it doesn't belong there." he traced a finger over her jawline and chin. Sarah was so glad he wasn't wearing gloves! "Married to me means you will share in my immortality, so yes, you do have forever with me. Not long at all."

"Am I aging right now, seeing as how I'm not married to you yet?"

"You are, but much more slowly than normal. If you were to remain here for twenty years you would only age by two, it takes a very long time."

"Time is so messed up here, I just can't get my head around it all!" she laughed, playing with the hair that hung over his shoulders. She loved his hair.

"You will get used to it. But, right now, time is wasting." he shot her a toothy grin, one that showed just how pointed his teeth really were, and quickly moved his head down to kiss her. This time there were no interruptions on her part, she just let it happen and enjoyed it to the fullest of her abilities.

JSJSJS

The clock struck thirteen, midnight. Jareth, Sarah and Rosalinda all woke up with a start, as if they were all connected across the distances that separated them. They all had the same feeling running through them, a feeling of dark foreboding, one that seemed to sink into their very souls. There was something wrong somewhere, they all knew it, but they couldn't see it clearly.

Jareth left his room and went to check on the demon. He was still in his prison. Back in his room he used his Eyes to look in on Sarah. She was pacing back and forth, deeply upset, just like he was. How did she feel what he felt? And, more importantly, why?

Sarah called the fire to light the candles and the small chandelier in her room. She checked every corner, every nook and cranny, but found nothing. She double checked the locks on her windows and doors. They were all secure, but she didn't feel safe.

Rosalinda went into her little tower. On the middle landing she removed a stone from the wall and reached into the recess, pulling out a little box. She opened it, and her pounding heart calmed slightly when she saw that the contents were still safe. But she couldn't shake the dire feeling that was slowly building inside her.

* * *

_Concerning the enchiladas, that was what I had for dinner last night, and I just decided that Sarah should be having the same thing:)_

_And things are building up... the plot thickens!  
_


	28. Chapter 28

_I'm so sorry it took me so long to get this next chapter up! I'm at a pivotal point in the story where I need to make sure that everything lines up perfectly and makes sense, so it took me a while. Hopefully the next chapter won't take me so long:)_

_Tara Robotnik, there should be enough in this chapter to keep you on the edge of your seat! There is a LOT of plot building up:)  
_

_fantasyexpert, you got the idea, scary music! YAY!  
_

_Samurai Tsundere, one of the things I love the most about the Labyrinth is the fact that I'm able to establish my own rules. I have read some stories where things are laid out really well, and then, somewhere in there, a mistake is made that should be impossible due to this thing or that. In many ways I'm a little OCD where my writing, plots and rules are concerned, everything has to be as perfect as I can make it, which is the exact reason why it may take me longer to get some chapters up than others:) Oh, and I'm glad you like the fluffy moments! I happen to love those kind of things:)  
_

_Liatyris, you really do sound like you are entranced:D Glad the story has that affect on you!  
_

_Shadowfey913, I have to say that your guess is not far off its mark... only remember, things are not always what they may seem... ;D  
_

* * *

Eddie the Worm was out on his little veranda, enjoying the sight of a beautiful sunrise and the smell of early morning air, when he heard the steady sound of feet marching on the stone ground. Turning to his right he looked down the long and straight corridor that was littered with broken branches. Just coming into sight was a large company of foot soldiers, their pointed golden helmets bobbing up and down in a double file.

"Now, what is this?" he stared with curiosity as they drew nearer, giggling lightly when he saw the trouble they were having keeping orderly over the branch filled corridor. At last they were close enough for him to see the royal insignia of the High Queen brandished on their chest plates. "Ah, she has come!"

Marching on they soon came to the hidden break in the wall, took a sharp turn right, walked through, turned left, and went on. Each row did this in perfect sync as they came to the break, and Eddie had counted about twenty five sets before he finally saw Queen Clarissa. She was carried in a litter in the very middle of the troops, accompanied by several servants and members of her court, a beautiful lady decked out in stunning finery. Right behind her was an empty litter.

No one noticed Eddie, and he didn't shout out a welcome. He didn't like her any more than anyone else in the Labyrinth; she was far too proud and haughty. She made Jareth look like he thought nothing about himself at all!

Clarissa went on with her entourage, took the turn, and made her way out of Eddie's sight, leaving him to watch the rest of the soldiers bring up the rear. He couldn't shake the feeling that there was something wrong.

JSJSJS

"Yer Majesty!" a tall goblin messenger ran into the throne room and bowed to his king, who was talking to Sarah.

They were both seated on the throne, Jareth leaning on the right side so he could face Sarah, who leaned on the left, her legs tossed over his. He couldn't help thinking about little Toby right then, he had enjoyed many hours with the little fellow perched in his lap, and now he was doing the same with his half sister.

They had been sitting there since dawn. Sarah had sought him out, all upset and near tears over the dreadful feeling that something was wrong. Jareth, not wanting anyone to get the wrong idea from her being in his bedchamber, had dressed, wrapped Sarah in one of his cloaks and took her down to the throne room, the place where he did his best thinking. There they had remained, just talking and telling each other their worries.

"Yes?" he reluctantly turned away from Sarah, still wearing his black cloak and looking simply gorgeous, to observe the messenger.

"The High Queen! She is here, heading for the front gates!" he went on in a shrill voice, his whole body shaking from head to foot.

Jareth's face darkened. He thanked the goblin, sent him away, and turned to back to Sarah. "You shouldn't be here right now. Clarissa doesn't like mortals. I will see to it that Sir Didymus, Ludo and Gobble are with you to keep you company for the day."

"I won't be seeing you very much today then?" she didn't like the idea, not while she was having a terrible turmoil of feelings that only receded when he was around.

"No, I have to talk to Clarissa, she will more than likely want me to bring her up to date with all that has gone on. It will not be a pleasant without you there, but it is for the best. I don't want there to be any upset on either your part or hers."

"But I wouldn't cause-" she started to protest, but he placed his finger on her lips to silence her.

"Sarah, don't defy me." he smiled. She remembered those words all too well, and the snake he had thrown at her which turned into a scarf around her neck, and she didn't want to repeat the incident.

"I take it back, you _do _have power over me!" she smiled, and he ran his finger along her jaw.

"I do now!" he stood up and pulled her with him, ushering her to the door that would lead back to her chamber. Once she had gone he pulled his gloves on, tugged them firmly in place, and took his sword belt off a nearby table.

Rosalinda came in through a back door, all decked out in a stunning white gown. Jareth smiled at her, and she at him. He was glad she was there, he would need all the help he could get if Clarissa made him angry, and she was always good for that.

"Well, lets get this over and done with!"

JSJSJS

Jareth and Rosalinda stood side by side as Queen Clarissa entered the throne room, a few servants and courtiers behind her. She was of middling height, very slender, blue eyed and stunning gold hair. It was true she was a decided beauty, though it was overshadowed by her pride, which she wore like a garment around her.

She looked around the room, noting that it was much cleaner than rumor had it, and then settled her eyes on Jareth.

"Goblin King, I had hoped we would be alone." she didn't even bother with pleasantries.

"We are on my part. I made sure that none of my subjects were here to disturb you." he answered calmly, his left hand resting on the hilt of his sword.

"But isn't that thing your subject too?" she stared at Rosalinda with marked distaste. The red haired lady kept her expression neutral, but there was fire in her eyes.

"She is not my subject, you know that as well as anyone, and you will kindly not imply otherwise." his tone carried a threat, one which he was all too capable of acting on if she pushed him far enough. She might be the High Queen, but she was in HIS kingdom, and he had his limits to how much he would take. Rosalinda laid a hand on his arm, and he quickly got back on track. "But you are not here to make insults, you are here to take the demon. Why don't we get down to business?"

Throwing him a smug smile Clarissa waved her hand, summoning up one of her entourage, a rather plump man with a balding head and overlong mustache. "This is Klaus, my wizard. He will take care of handling of the demon. We have prepared a litter for his transport."

Jareth nodded, not fully trusting the looks of Klaus, but knowing he had no choice but to fall in with Clarissa's plans. He gave Rosalinda his arm and led the wizard up the staircase to right of his throne. It was the same one that Sarah had taken to the Escher Room, but he didn't go all the way to the top. About halfway up he walked through the wall to his left, a hidden turn, and continued on down the halls to the Tower Room.

At the door to the prison he stopped and took out a large key, turned it in the lock and then stood aside for the wizard. "Scorpius is here. I do hope do know what you are doing!"

The wizard rolled his eyes back in his head, pushed the door open and entered. Clarissa had followed close behind, looking very upset because Jareth had given that creature Rosalinda his arm which he didn't even offer to her, and now stood beside the Goblin King.

"I can assure you that Klaus knows exactly what he is doing, have no fear on that point." she said, watching as her wizard carefully took the crystal sphere in his hands, murmuring lightly as he did so.

"Forgive me if I don't share in your confidence over Klaus's abilities. I know this demon far too well to ever take anything concerning him, directly or indirectly, for granted. Though I have robbed him of most of his powers he is still cunning, and I know better than to think that he doesn't have some trick up his sleeve." Jareth spoke in a low growl, watching every move Klaus made as he brought the sphere out of the prison and into the hall.

"Robbed him of his powers?" she sounded surprised. "It is considered to be one of the ultimate cruelties to take a creature's magical abilities away from him."

"Frankly, Majesty, I was more concerned with the welfare of my subjects and kingdom than how cruel it may have been." Jareth glared down at the Queen, his dislike for her showing in his expression. She saw it, but was not concerned. He had never liked her, she knew it, and he never would, but that was of little importance so long as he remained obedient to her.

"Oh, I do understand. You were wise, I just hadn't thought it would be necessary for such a thing." they were walking back down to the throne room now, the wizard still in front of them with the demon. "Just how weak is he now?"

"He still has the most common abilities of a demon; possession, taking different forms, and the ability to kill by taking the life force of a person, those are something I couldn't take away. Everything else I have removed, and I have seen to it that they cannot be returned to him."

"Very shrewd." Clarissa's voice was just above a whisper. Jareth's attention was on the wizard, but Rosalinda looked sideways at her, wondering at her tone. "Klaus is going to make sure everything is ready for transporting the demon. I trust him to take every precaution, so there is no need for us to stand around and watch him. I was hoping that we might have a chance to talk, Jareth. There are some things that I would like to know."

The last thing Jareth wanted to do was sit and talk with Clarissa. He wanted her to take the demon and leave; get the job done and get out, to put it as bluntly. But he had no good excuse for not sitting and talking with her, and so reluctantly consented. They went to his sitting room. It was always lovely there in the mornings, the sun shone through the colored glass windows to make a stunning display over the floor.

"You may go now, Fallen One!" Clarissa said as they seated themselves at a table. Rosalinda looked at Jareth, and he motioned her to sit down.

"Rosalinda will stay." he said firmly, leaving no room for argument. "She has as much to do with this whole business as anyone. Now, what is it you would like to know?"

"If she must stay, then so be it." she said in a condescending tone that made Jareth's blood boil. But he kept tight control over himself, something that Rosalinda saw and admired greatly. "Sir Didymus sent me a letter, detailing a little of what happened concerning the demon. I would just like a little more detail, please." she leaned back with her typical regal flair and played with the rings on his fingers as Jareth laid out the series of events for her.

* * *

_I know, I leave you hanging again! Don't worry, I have plans for a... SHOWDOWN! And it won't take too long:D_


	29. Chapter 29

_How about some more Clarissa? The plot is building bit by bit:D_

_Enjoy!  
_

* * *

Sarah spent the whole day with her father. He had been moved out of the sickroom and placed in the room next to hers, making it easy to go and see him. His health was so greatly improved that he was able to walk with just the aid of a cane, and Jibber no longer had to keep a constant eye on him.

Having her friends there made the day go by much more easily than she had expected, and her father was so fond of Ludo and Sir Didymus that they became friends in just a few minutes.

But Sarah still had her moments of restlessness and got up to pace the floor once in a while. There were many lovely tapestries hanging on the walls, and some very interesting pieces of Labyrinthine history sitting on the shelves, but they only caught her attention for so long before she grew tired of looking at them. After that she had only the window to look out of.

"Hoggle?" she called the dwarf to her side, and he obeyed quickly. "Who are all of those people down there?"

"Thems are Clarissa's soldiers." he looked out the window, glad that it went all the way to the floor. He hated having to climb up on chairs to see out. "She never goes anywhere with out them."

"Why not? Are people always trying to knock her off or something?" she mentally counted the number of the troops, thought it was very excessive for picking up an imprisoned demon.

"I think she is afraid that someone might try. Have ya heard the story of her father?" he asked. She shook her head. "Well, he was murdered, assassinated actually. They never found who did it. Clarissa was very young at the time, barely an adult, and it had a bad effect on her mind. She ain't crazy, don't worry about that, but she is dreadfully afraid of sharing her father's fate."

"I would be too, I suppose. Did she take the throne right away, or was there another before her?"

"She is the eldest of two daughters, there weren't no brother, so she became queen on her father's death. I wasn't around at that time, but I understand it wasn't easy for her at first, but she has stuck to it and become a very powerful queen. Pity she is so proud!"

"Surely she has a right to be a little proud." Sarah tapped her fingers on the wall.

"Everyone does, but she goes overboard with it! Ya know how proud Jareth is?" she nodded. "Well, she makes him look like a humble person in comparison!"

Sarah frowned, hardly able to make the comparison in her mind. It seemed impossible for anyone to even rival Jareth's pride, but for Hoggle to say that he was humble when compared to Clarissa meant it had to be true. He wasn't one to downplay the Goblin King's pride without reason!

"Oh, Sarah, speakin' of Jareth, he gave me somethin' ta give ta ya." Hoggle went to the bed and pulled a box out from under the dust ruffle. Sarah hadn't seen him slip it under there when he first came in to be with her. "I think he said it was ta help ya feel a little more safe."

Sarah took it and pulled the lid off. Laying in a bed of cloth was a dirk. It's silver blade was lethally sharp and pointed, intricate Celtic knot work went from the base towards the tip, and the hilt was gold and had a reddish pink stone set at the end. She wrapped her hand around it and held it up to the light, surprised that holding it felt as if she had done so many times before.

"Are ya scared of somethin'?" he asked.

"Yes." she found a leather sheath in the bottom of the box and slid the dirk into it. She was wearing an outfit that was almost exactly like Jareth's; grey trousers, white poets shirt, black boots and vest, and there was a belt to go with it. She strapped the weapon on her right hip. "I just don't know what I'm afraid of, I can't put it into words."

"I tell ya what is scaring me." she lifted a questioning eyebrow at him in much the same manner as Jareth did. "The fact that you are dressed like him is what! Why are ya anyway?"

"I have been wearing dresses for a long time now, months it seems, and today I wanted something different. I used to wear jeans all the time, and shirts, and I guess I was just missing it a little." Sarah looked at herself in a full length mirror. She did indeed look like the female version of Jareth in the outfit, and she rather liked it. Only she hadn't put on the gloves, they were tucked into her belt. "Or perhaps it is true that the longer you live with someone the more you grow to look like them!"

Hoggle beat his palm against his forehead, hoping that it wasn't true. He couldn't stand the thought of his dearest friend looking like that blond haired king who ruled the Labyrinth!

JSJSJS

"Well, I can't say I blame you for wanting to do away with the demon yourself!" Clarissa said once Jareth had finished telling his story. "You do have proof of all you just told me?"

"Yes. I hold the chronicles that tell all you need to know, and they are signed by witnesses." Jareth said, swinging his leg, which was thrown over the armrest, back and forth. He had been sitting for most of the day now, he longed to get up and move about. "And what he did to Sarah and her father is a terrible crime as well."

"But that happened in the Aboveground. Mortals are mortals, they have nothing to do with us, what happens to them is their own affair." Jareth lowered his eyelids to mere slits. He didn't like her talking about Sarah or her father in that fashion, it made them sound lower than the lowest wretch. That and he blamed himself for what happened to Sarah and Jake, he wished he hadn't exiled Scorpius to the Aboveground. "My duty is to see that all who were harmed by Scorpius are given justice, no matter how long it takes, and the mortals will just have to take consolation in the fact that he can't hurt them anymore."

"Pure justice would be served to everyone by just going ahead and sending him to Oblivion. There is no need for a long, drawn out trial once Jareth has given you the chronicles." Rosalinda spoke up, holding her head high in a regal way.

"But I need two testimonies, both proved completely true, to forgo a trial." she glared at the lady across from her.

"Surely my own testimony against the demon, with my own chronicles, coupled with those of Jareth's, is enough." Rosalinda's voice was cold, heartless almost.

"Your testimony counts as nothing! You are the Fallen One, your word is not to be trusted!" Clarissa rose to her feet shouting, and slammed her fist on the table. Neither Jareth or Rosalinda flinched, merely stared at the queen with stony expressions.

"Why is her word not to be trusted?" Jareth formed a steeple with his fingers, seeing one way to get the queen to do away with the demon without a long trial. "She had nothing to do with the fall of the Kingdom of Mist."

"And I suppose you have proof?" sarcasm dripped from each word as Clarissa sat back down.

"There is proof, if she allows it to be used." Jareth looked over at Rosalinda. Her eyes met his, and she knew what he was going to propose, and saw that he didn't want to. "Would you consent to being examined by Truth Crystal?"

She dropped her eyes, her mouth drawn into a tight line. She wanted desperately to say no, to find another way, but she knew there was none. "Yes. I consent, but only on the terms that if it is found that I am innocent, all will be used to destroy the demon."

Clarissa's expression was unreadable, but Jareth knew he had her trapped. From the feeling in the air he sensed she was angry, and that was quite expected. It was the feeling of panic, or something very much like it, that he couldn't understand. There was no reason why she should be unless dealing with Rosalinda was really that terrible to her.

"Very well." she said at last. "She may be examined, but only under one of my own Truth Seers. They will tell the absolute truth of what they see, I promise you, there must be no reason for doubt anywhere!"

There wasn't any need for further discussion. It was late in the day, they were all tired and upset, and Clarissa was very eager to be on her way back to her kingdom. Jareth, trying to be a good diplomat, offered her dinner or some refreshment before she left, but she turned it down and went right out to her litter and waiting entourage.

"I will be expecting you at my court very soon. The examination will take place just as soon as you have prepared yourself, Rosalinda. I hope that you are innocent as you and Jareth both say you are, the consequences if you are not-"

"I am fully aware of them. Goodnight, Majesty!" Rosalinda cut her off sharply, curtsied stiffly, and went back inside the castle, her red hair flying out behind her in her haste to get away.

"Why you tolerate her I will never understand!" she said as she took his hand and stepped into her litter.

"You don't understand many things, including the fact that I don't tolerate her." Jareth closed the little door and secured it firmly. "To tolerate implies that she is a burden, and she never has been, and never will be, a burden to me. She is my friend."

"A strange one, if you want my opinion!"

"No, I don't. Goodnight, Majesty!" he walked back to the massive doors of his castle and watched as the large entourage marched its way out of Goblin City, carrying the demon with it.

Once the sound of the gates closing reached his ears he breathed a sigh of relief. The demon was gone, Clarissa was gone, and the chances were good that there would be no massive trial. For once things seemed to be going his way. But he couldn't get the feeling of uneasiness to subside.

From behind he felt Rosalinda, and turned to look at her. She was leaning against the half open door, her arms crossed lightly under her chest. There was a look of such bitterness and anger, all mixed with pain and sorrow on her face that it broke his heart. He took a few steps towards her.

"Rosalinda, please forgive me. I could see no other way-" he stopped when she held up her hand sharply.

"I know why, and I will forgive you. But not just yet, I need time to think, prepare myself." she slowly turned and walked inside, closing the door behind her with a hollow thud.

It was just starting to go into twilight. Everything was so lovely, but he didn't see it or feel it. He felt was apart from it all, isolated, and the only thing he could hear were Rosalinda's words. He was tired, but too upset with himself to sleep, so he took off his heavy sword and topcoat and tossed them to a servant, leaving him in his typical white shirt and black vest, and headed off for the gardens. Hopefully, he thought, I can lose myself there for a little while.

* * *

_More angst and sorrow for Jareth and Rosalinda. Don't worry, all will be revealed in time...:'}_


	30. Chapter 30

_Forgive me for taking so long to get the chapter finished and uploaded! It has been one heck of a week, seems like everything got in the way. I will admit to watching The Labyrinth on Monday, so nice to be able to have an influx of inspiration like that, so the week wasn't all bad:)_

_Guest, I read your comment with great interest and I realized that you were totally right! Though it was the demon hurting Sarah, Jake is still the face of the abuse and there should be a time or two where her memories of the past come back to haunt her. So, I took your idea and used it to make this chapter, which I dedicate to you:) Thank you so much!  
_

_Taria Robotnik, Hehe! I got you all wound up and waiting for something to happen:D I promise you won't be disappointed when the moment comes!  
_

_7SCARS, Your comment made me soooo happy:)  
_

_Shadowfey913, Yes, Clarissa is not a likeable character and I never meant her to be. I admit to wanting to crush her with a boulder myself:D I'm glad you are enjoying the story so much!  
_

_taohippie, You need update? I give you update! Thanks for reading!  
_

* * *

Sarah watched as the last of the troops marched out of Goblin City, carrying with them the glowing sphere that held Scorpius captive. It made her feel a little better, knowing that he was leaving the immediate area, but she still couldn't shake the horrible feeling that something, somewhere, was still wrong.

"Dear, sit down and eat something." her father said. She tuned away from the window and sat down with him. She wasn't hungry, her appetite had been nonexistent for most of the day. "How are you feeling? You look a little off color."

"I'm fine, really. Just all this going on, the High Queen being here, the... it just has me all upset, thats all." she picked up her wine goblet and took a sip, enjoying the sweet and light taste. Jareth had guessed that she didn't like his preferred heavier wines, they were strong and often had a very nasty bite to them that she was not used to, so he left orders that whenever she was served wine it should be of the lightest and sweetest kind. Even so, it was still much stronger than normal alcohol.

They didn't speak much over the meal, and Sarah didn't even dish so much as a piece of fruit from the large bowl on the table. Jake noticed this and insisted she join him in eating the dessert. "These tarts are too good for you not to eat. Here," he set one on her empty plate and handed it to her. "I don't like to eat sweet things alone."

The smell of the tart wafted up and danced around Sarah's nose, and she took a bite. It was good, as most all things made by goblins cooks were, but she was too wound up to enjoy it thoroughly.

Jake had the same problem, it was good and sweet, but his mind was on other things that diminished his enjoyment. After they had finished he brought up the subject he had been wondering about for so long. "Has Jareth said anything about what is to happen to me?"

"How do you mean?" she looked at him questioningly.

"Well, after you get married, what is to become of me? Will I remain here, the father-in-law living in his son-in-law's castle? Or will I be sent back to the... oh what do you call it... the Aboveground?"

Sarah hadn't thought about it at all, but now she too wondered about what Jareth's plans for her father were. He hadn't said a word about it to her, so she wondered if he had thought about it at all himself. Thinking on it she really didn't want her father to leave, she had missed him for so long that she felt there was a great deal of time to be made up for, and the Underground was the perfect place to do it.

But, she reminded herself, though this was fast becoming her home, it would very likely not be the same for her father. He had had a good life in the Aboveground, a wife and a son, a home. Perhaps Jareth could make things right, give her father back at least a little of that old life, if he wanted to return to it. Could he reorder time for her father? She would ask him about it soon.

"Jareth hasn't talked to me about it." she took another sip of her wine, enjoying the warm fuzzy feeling that she got from it. "But I guess we should see if he has any plans, and if so, what they are. Do you want to go back to the Aboveground?"

"You won't be hurt if I say yes?" she shook her head. "Then, yes, I do want to go back. It is what I know, all I care about is there, except you. My biggest regret in leaving would be that you couldn't come with me, but that is nothing so long as I know you are happy here."

"If that is what you want, Dad, I'll talk to Jareth about it." she was feeling a little strange, took another swallow of wine.

"My only problem is that I don't have Karen and Toby anymore. I drove them away rather cruelly, and I doubt they would have me back now."

"You didn't drive them away, it was that demon!" she snapped sharply, drawing a stunned look from him. "Never blame yourself for what he did, never! None of it was your fault, you never would have done anything like what he made you do!" she felt hot tears stinging her eyes as she downed the rest of her wine in one gulp.

"Sarah, what is it?" his voice was soothing and he laid a hand on her tight fist. She was shaking like a leaf, and her eyes were screwed shut to keep the tears from falling. She reached blindly for the decanter, but his closed his hand around her wrist. Memories of him twisting her arms to hurt her came rushing in, and for an instant she thought it was the demon come back for her. "I'm guessing that is wine of some type. You have been drinking a bit too much."

"Let me go!" her voice was shrill, so filled with fright that he jumped. With a jerk she freed her wrist from his grasp, inadvertently knocking the decanter off the table. The sound of glass shattering echoed through the room as it hit the floor, sending a wave of terror through Sarah.

She screamed, throwing her arms over her face in a protective way, and jumped to her feet, putting as much distance between herself and the father as possible. Only she didn't see her father, she saw the demon ready and waiting to pounce. "Keep away from me!"

"Sarah, please calm down!" he was standing up and moving his hands in a calming manner. "Was it the decanter? It was my fault, mine entirely. Just calm down." he got down and started picking up the larger pieces of glass, stacking them neatly on an empty plate.

"Just don't hurt me. I'm sorry for breaking the-" her chest felt constricted, and she choked on her words. The reasonable part of her was telling her that the demon was gone, he couldn't hurt her anymore, but there still was a terrible fear that he still resided inside the body of her father.

"I won't hurt you." he looked up at her. She seemed so frail, battered and beaten, and part of her was broken. The sight was more than he could bear. "You know I won't, don't you?"

"I know... but part of me... I'm sorry!" she burst out in a flood of hot tears and ran from the room. She couldn't see where she was going, but she didn't care. All she could think about was getting away from there as quickly as possible.

She crashed headfirst into something, but didn't look to see what it was, and veered to the left to get past it. Through her blurry eyes she could see light streaming from an open door, and she blindly ran for it. There was a bed in the middle of the room and she threw herself on it, sobbing as if she would never stop.

JSJSJS

Jareth had returned to his room just a few moments before he heard Sarah scream. The sound made his heart skip a beat, and, not hesitating an instant, he ran out into the halls and charged down towards her chamber, his hair flying out behind him in his haste. Without knocking he thrust the doors open and looked inside. She was not there, the candles weren't even lit, so he left quickly and made for the next door down; Jake's room.

At that instant Sarah emerged from that very room, tears pouring down her face. He instantly feared something horrible had happened, and rushed over to her. She was walking very fast, hands partially covering her eyes, and didn't notice him when he was directly in front of her, and so crashed right into his chest with her head. He put his hands on her shoulders, but she didn't feel them and brushed past him, and made her way into what happened to be his room without seeming to notice.

His first impulse was to follow her, find out what was wrong, but he decided to go and see Jake instead and let him explain first. He walked swiftly along and entered his room, saw the man picking pieces of a decanter off the floor. The idea that he had hit Sarah with it sprang into his mind, and before he could control it a furious rage built up inside him and he grabbed Jake by his throat, lifted him up in the air with one arm and held him with his back to the wall.

"What did you do to her!" he shouted, drawing Jake back a few inches from the wall then slamming him back again. "If you hurt her in any way I swear I will kill you! Tell me what you did and I might find it within me to be merciful!"

Never had Jake seen such a look of pure rage on the face of a person. The coloring around Jareth's eyes had become much darker than usual, and his eyes looked as if a storm was raging in their vivid blue depths. His lips were stretched tight across his sharp teeth, making him look so sinister that Jake felt instantly afraid that his life was about to end.

"I-I didn't hurt her!" he gasped, his hands closing around Jareth's arm as if it would loosen his grip. Jareth lowered him to eye level, his face just inches away. "It was an accident... the decanter got knocked over... it frightened her... she thought I would beat her..." he couldn't breathe and saw the blackness closing in around his vision.

Jareth released his hold on Jake's throat, but kept him pinned against the wall by gripping the front of his shirt. "Why would she think that, unless you gave her cause?" his voice had dropped an octave.

"I did give her cause, but it was not intentional." he gasped, taking in large breaths of air to clear his head. "She was drinking too much wine, I tried to stop her from having more and I grabbed her wrist too roughly."

"You didn't use force, did you?" he spoke in a menacing tone that made Jake's blood run cold.

"No, but she pulled away from me and the decanter shattered on the floor. The incident frightened her, she thought I was going to hurt her for it. I swear I didn't harm her, I would never do such a thing to my only daughter." Jake watched Jareth's face slowly soften, the rage fading away.

The pieces all came together in Jareth's mind, he knew exactly what had happened, and why. He went back in the shared memories and saw Sarah's arms and wrists being grabbed and twisted over and over again by Jake, heard the smashing of glass as he threw things at her. The events that had just taken place had brought back the things she had been trying so hard to forget, and for an instant she thought her father was the demon again.

Sighing heavily he lowered Jake the rest of the way to the floor and brushed off his wrinkled shirt. Putting a gentler hand around his arm he lead him back to his chair. When Jake offered him a seat he refused.

"I'm sorry for that violent outburst, Jake." he said with his back turned. "I'm just so protective over her-"

"Trust me, Jareth, if you had acted any less... passionate, then I would have started to question just how much you really care for Sarah." Jake saved him from having to go on with an apology. He picked up a glass of water from the table and drank it, trying to calm down from what he knew might have been his last few moments of life. He never wanted to be on Jareth's bad side again. "Do you want me to explain all this?"

Jareth paced from one end of the room to the other and back, his arms crossed and head bowed low so that a curtain of his hair obscured his face. "There is no need, I know why this happened. I just wish I had been able to prevent it. I'm one of the most powerful kings in the Underground, a living legend in my own time, able to do anything I want with just a flick of my wrist. But I couldn't-"

"You couldn't stop her from being hurt by memories." Jake finished for him shaking his head sadly. "We are both fools, Jareth. Two peas in a pod. We both love her, both want the best for her, and we think we can make everything better for her. But we are so wrong. We can't fight her inner demons for her, no matter how much we wish we could, or how hard we may try."

For the first time Jareth saw Jake as an equal, and it was quite a shock to his system. He knew Jake was right, they couldn't protect her from her inner demons, couldn't wipe away the past. And they were both idiots to have not seen that this sort of thing was going to happen.

"So, what do we do?" he asked Jake's advice. He found himself unable to decide on a course of action, afraid that anything he might do would make things worse.

"I don't think I should see her right now, she is very upset and I fear that seeing me right now would make things more difficult." Jake looked at his future son-in-law. "She needs a friend, not a father or a lover. Can you be that for her?"

Jareth nodded, hoping he would be able to be just a friend, and walked slowly out of the room. As he went down the hall he passed a goblin servant and sent him to clean up the mess in Jake's room. Quietly he pushed open his door and entered. Sarah was laying on his bed, sobbing in a horrible, mournful way.

JSJSJS

Sarah felt the mattress depress behind her. She grew quiet and tense, terribly afraid of making too much noise. Two arms wrapped themselves around her gently, and pulled her tightly against what she knew was Jareth's body. She relaxed a little knowing it was him.

"Don't you ever knock?" her voice was thick and foggy.

"Yes, but only when I'm entering a room that belongs to someone else." he couldn't resist teasing her just a little. "This is my room, or didn't you notice?"

"No, I didn't." she sighed, trying to pull herself free of his arms. But he held her tight, and she was too tired to put real effort into getting away.

"I thought not. You were too upset to even notice that it was me you ran into in your flight from your father's room." he moved a hand up and brushed her hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. "Before you ask, yes, I just had a talk with him. Do you want to talk to me about what happened?"

"No! I don't want to talk about it to anyone!" she buried her face in the fluffy comforter.

"Wanting and needing are very different, Sarah." he rested his forehead against the back of her head. A swift wave of his fingers made the few candles in the room go out, leaving only the moonlight to hold back complete darkness. "You can't hold it in forever, my love."

"But you already know all that happened. What good would come from talking about it?"

"I know all about it, yes, but you haven't told me your side."

"What good would letting it out do me? I would just relive the horrible moment, and you would just get a big wet patch on your shirt from where I had cried the whole time!" she hiccuped and quickly covered her mouth, hoping he hadn't heard.

"Are you drunk?" he lifted his head to look at her face. She was bright red, and then turned very pale, and there was a light but definite smell of spirits on her.

"Maybe a little." she mumbled, too humiliated to talk louder. "I haven't had much except wine. Are you angry with me?"

"No." he kissed behind her right ear, felt her relax a little more. "It has been a stressful day, I was tempted to turn to the bottle a few times. But I had a demon to get out of my kingdom, I couldn't get-"

"Swacked." she said, the wine loosening her tongue.

"Curious word. But if it is correct then yes, swacked. I was sorely tempted to do that today, anything to get me through the meeting with Clarissa, but I couldn't. However, it is done at last, Scorpius is gone now. He can't hurt you anymore."

"Somehow it doesn't feel like that to me." she started shaking again. Jareth tightened his arms around her, and her resolve not to talk about it broke down completely. "I thought dad was him again, it was as if I relived the past for a few seconds. I've tried so hard to keep those memories away, never wanted to remember them, but they came back tonight. Now I fear that I will never forget, that time will not erase everything."

Jareth wished he could honestly tell her that time would erase everything, but he knew from experience that it was not that easy. He had his own set of demons, everyone did, and there would be no peace of mind until they were confronted. After they were faced then the pain would ease, though it never fully went away.

"But does it follow that I have to face them alone?" Sarah said, turning over to right side so she was facing him. Though the room was dark she could see him very clearly. She hadn't thought the moonlight bright enough to illuminate his features, but it must have been. How else could she see him so clearly?

Jareth ran his fingers over his cheek, wiping away her tears. "We will face them together."

Sarah put her arms around him, burying her face in his shirt. "Thank you for being a friend right now. You are a really good one."

"I had an excellent teacher." he kissed the top of her head. "Try to get some sleep now, it is late."

It only took a few seconds for her to do as he said, and she didn't try to fight it.

* * *

_Yes! Jareth finally gets to use all those lessons he learned from Sarah on how to be a friend! It wasn't that hard, was it, Jareth? :D Ok, so he was also a touch of a lover in there, but we all like him to be that way:)_


	31. Chapter 31

_At long last I have an update for all my wonderful readers out there! I am so sorry it took me so long to get it done, but when the power to your house keeps on going up and down for several weeks on end and it keeps on knocking out your computer things tend to be a little slow. I think I must have rewritten this chapter a dozen times at least!_

_Anyway, the plot is thickening, and y'all are going to be subject to a few more surprises in the upcoming chapters:)  
_

_Thanks for all the reviews! I love each one of them:)  
_

* * *

A tall dark figure walked slowly around the glowing sphere, its long robes made a rustling sound as they drug along the floors. Scorpius watched as the figure made its twentieth lap, swirling silently in his green cloud as it was the only thing he could do. He knew exactly who the person was, knew the reasons for the disguise, though he thought going to all the obvious trouble to try and intimidate him was a waste of time.

"I don't see that glaring at me will do any good. Nor will all this hovering around in utter silence, trying to make yourself as terrifying as possible. It won't work. I know you too well, I know all your tricks." he said at long last.

"So you think!" the voice was raspy, icy and low, and held feminine undertones, giving away that the figure was in fact a 'she'. She stopped walking, turned, and went in the other direction. "What if I decide to leave you in that prison forever? Would that surprise you?"

"Not really, though I have to say that people would start to ask why. You can't afford for anyone to question you right now, especially now that I am in your clutches."

The figure went on walking for a few more laps, then stopped and faced him, blocking the doorway of the small room. They were in the High Queen's castle, in the catacombs below, where they were guaranteed of not being disturbed as no one knew that such a place existed. It was dark, save for the glow of the sphere and a large torch on the wall, and the only sound was that of the drip dripping of water somewhere nearby.

Scorpius didn't know how long he had been there, not more than a few hours he was sure, though it felt much longer than that.

"Trust me, I know I will always find a way around any questions that are asked about me. I have been around long enough to find ways out of the worst possible situations." she clasped long hands together, a pale contrast against the black cloak that went from head to toe. Looking carefully Scorpius could just make out the death's head under the hood. "But, that is not what I am here to discuss."

"Here it comes!" Scorpius muttered to himself under his breath.

"Jareth filled in a great deal of the details concerning your battle with him, your fall and exile to the Aboveground, and the mortals you used to get back here. But there are things he couldn't tell me, mainly because he doesn't know anything about them." a few steps brought her right up to the sphere, and she stared hard at it. Scorpius got the feeling that there were no eyes in her sockets; there was no reflection of light in them. "You know what I'm talking about, however."

"And you are waiting for me to spill the beans, to use a mortal term." it was not a question, he knew exactly what was required of him. But he wasn't going to let it all out without getting a little something before hand. "Believe me, I do want to tell you everything, but my mind is feeling... trapped. Confined in this prison as I am it does make thinking rather hard at times."

"I figured you would pull something like this. That is the biggest problem with your kind; you are always using things to get to your own ends."

"It works, doesn't it?" he chuckled, knowing he had her right where he wanted. At least that is what he thought.

"Just don't push me too hard!" she warned, laying her hands on the sphere and muttering a few magical words. With a burst of light the sphere was gone, and Scorpius was free. He took on a human form, which was actually his true form, stretched and smiled happily as he twitched his fingers and flexed his arms.

"There! Now I feel the blood flowing to the brain again." he stood up, looking down at his tattered garments. They were what he was wearing when Jareth had exiled him to the Aboveground, and he had never bothered to change them; mortal fashion was just too bland for his taste, and he couldn't waste all his powers on looks. He could now, of course, make some new ones magically appear on him, but that took more effort than he was able to manage at the moment. Jareth had robbed him of so much that doing anything was always going to be harder than normal. Given time he would be able to do basic magic without too much trouble, though it would never be as easy as before. "Ask your questions."

"Did you acquire the items I need?" the tone was bland, but the way the body was held betrayed the eagerness the figure was feeling.

"No." he said, ready for the anger to come out at him like a bolt of lightning. Surprisingly there was no outburst, not even an angry growl. She just stood there, terrifying in that dark cloak, not moving some much as a finger. "One was lost, not a single trace of it could I find. The second escaped just as I thought I had it in my grasp, and the third was hidden very cleverly. But you have the other seven pieces, that gives you a great advantage."

"Six of those pieces are only the foundation!" she shrieked, throwing up long arms and clinching hands into fists and waving them about furiously. "There is power within them, but the real power comes from the other four pieces, and they only have the greatest power when they are brought together! What good does it do me to have six foundation pieces and only one crowning piece? Answer: None!"

Scorpius said nothing and didn't move an inch, afraid of possible dire consequences if he did. Instead he watched, and waited for the fury to blow over and for reason to return, which it did presently.

"So, three have yet to be recovered. One you still haven't found, but you didn't say so about the other two." she said at last, looking at Scorpius with those terrible eyeless sockets once again. He stifled a shiver. "Well, do you know where to look?"

"I have a good idea where to start." he said after a slight hesitation. "I just need more time. Grant me that and I will get you everything you require."

She noted he was careful not to give away any idea of locations, and she knew he wouldn't. He was using what he knew to his advantage... but he had already given away that he knew where to start looking, and that was enough that any advantage he might have had was gone. And he didn't even know it yet.

"Every single time we have met you have always asked for more time. In that past I was willing to give it to you, you were always so useful back then, but I fear that time has passed you by!" she shoved him hard, and he flew back against the wall. Before he could react to defend himself she had drawn a knife out of her long black sleeve and slashed it through the air. It was done so quickly that he never saw the gleam of torchlight on the blade, and the realization and pain of his left bicep being cut to the bone took a few extra seconds.

"Curse you!" he screamed as the agony slammed through him. He fell to the floor as groans of pain forced their way put of his throat. A pool of blood, sickeningly green and foul smelling, formed on the stones beside him. Quickly he wrapped his hand over the wound, trying to heal it. But he was weak, and couldn't manage it beyond making the bleeding slow.

"Oh, no! The curse is on you this time, demon!" she sheathed the knife quickly before too much of the blood ran off the blade. Scorpius looked up at her, feeling fear for the first time as she stared menacingly down at him. "You see, you are worthless to me now. So weak as you are, stripped of your powers and unable to get them back, I've decided that you are not worth the trouble anymore."

"What do you mean?" there was a terrible dread welling up inside him, one he hoped was unfounded. His hope was in vain.

"I went through all the trouble of making sure Jareth didn't send you to Oblivion for one reason: you had information I desperately needed, and if you were gone then there was no way I could get it. But now that is all taken care of." she leaned over and somehow seemed to make her deaths head face into a horrific grin. "You don't think I sliced open your arm in a mere fit of rage, did you?"

Understanding hit him like a hammer; had he not been on the floor already he would have fallen over. "You drew my blood on purpose." he shook his head slowly, laughing at himself for he saw that she had played him in what was now a most obvious way. He had been truly stupid to think he had the upper hand earlier when she had had it the whole time. "Planning on injecting yourself with it, are you? You will know everything I know. I guess I should have realized just how ruthless you really are a long time ago."

"Ah, but I flattered you into thinking that you were to ruthless one. How do you think I was able to manipulate you so well? Your greatest weakness is your vanity, and I used it against you so well that you never even noticed." the gloating tone in the voice was more than he could take. With a swift move Scorpius was on his feet and lashing out at the figure with a fury, kicking and throwing punches that would have caused severe damage if there had been any of his former powers behind them.

"Oh, do give it up!" she whipped her hand at him, a long cord of light flew from her fingertips and wound around his body from the ankles up. Desperately he changed to his cloud form in order to escape his bonds, but still he couldn't get free. "You won't be able to get away now, not while in that grip, so don't waste your time. There is only so much left for you now, you know."

Returning to his human form, Scorpius looked down at the floor, muttered between clinched teeth. "Yes, I know. So, you really are going to put me through that trial. Did you intended to betray me all along?"

"You want an honest answer? Yes, I did. I never had any intention of coming through on my part. As if I would really share the greatest power in the Underground with a demon like you!" she chuckled, and he cringed. "I hadn't thought things would have come to an end quite so soon for you, I admit. The way I had planned things to go meant you would have stayed around for a while yet, but I couldn't have foreseen Jareth being able to do what he did, sending you to the Aboveground and keeping you from returning here on your own. He was much stronger than his father, and it messed things up badly. But, now I have a new set of plans to reach the same ends, and sadly, you won't be a part of them."

With a theatrical flourish she turned and strode for the door, cloak flowing behind like a veil on a breeze, signaling that the meeting was at an end.

"What makes you think I won't betray you in that court room?" he shouted. She stopped dead in her tracks, though didn't turn. "I can easily lay down the true nature of things for everyone to hear. What will you do then? Kings and queens from many different kingdoms will know of your treachery, word will spread through the Underground like a whirlwind, and you will be powerless to stop it!"

Slowly, deliberately, she turned and walked calmly back to his side. It was not the reaction he had expected, not one bit of flying off the handle or shouting, not even the slightest sign that she would be willing to make a bargain with him.

"Scorpius, you poor fool." her face was only six inches from his, giving him a perfect view of that hideous face she wore. "I can see right through that game. You give me your silence in exchange for your freedom, that was what you were thinking. You thought wrong, my onetime ally." her voice was low, calm, and held traces of its usual sweetness that had charmed him into doing her bidding in the first place. "There is a potion, one from so long ago that it hasn't been used since the days of the Great Kingdom, and it assures silence without fear of it being broken. Believe me when I say it works, I have tested it once before on someone, and to this day that poor thing can't speak a word!"

"You can't!" he swallowed on a dry throat, sweat forming little beads on his face.

"Oh, can't I?"

"If I am asked questions-"

"Trust me, there won't be any need for you to say anything at all. No one is interested in your side of the story, and even if they are then it makes no difference. Everyone knows what you did, everyone knows you are the one to blame, there will be no problems in making the trial swift without a single word from you. Rosalinda," his eyes went wide. "Yes, that Rosalinda, is going to subject herself to the Trial of Truth, and Jareth has his Chronicles, together they make a perfect case against you that no one will dispute. If anyone else wants to give there one evidence then they are free to do so, it won't matter in the end. You will be sent to Oblivion if only for the crimes against those two, and the Underground will be free of you."

"It is a pity no one knows where the real danger lies!" he spat at her. He knew he was evil, it was all part of who and what he was, but she was a step beyond; deranged as well as evil. That combination made her more dangerous than him.

"Yes, such a pity. Though if anyone actually saw who was behind the demon, they wouldn't believe their eyes!" she stuck something in his good arm, it felt like a needle, and a slight stinging sensation worked up and down his body a little bit at a time. "You will be silent now, no one will ever hear you speak again. Oh yes, there is an antidote to remove the potion from you, but no one knows of it but me, so no one can give it to you. I could, but why would I want to?"

Once again she moved for the door, throwing him her best wishes for a good night's rest over her shoulder. Scorpius, still upright by the cord that was wrapped tightly around him, struggled to escape, but the strength and power in his restraints was too great. There was, he knew, no escape for him now.

JSJSJS

Just outside the door to the chamber a little mouse like creature watched the talk between the demon and the dark figure. Neither of them noticed that they were being watched, and neither would have really cared. It was only a mouse, after all.

Once the dark figure had left the room the mouse quickly followed. A flick of its tail transformed it into its original form, that of a small and very pretty young lady with big amber colored eyes and long chestnut hair. Keeping to the shadows she quickly left the below levels through a series of hidden doors and passageways and entered the court room, which was alive and buzzing with activity from hundreds of Fae creatures.

All the talk was about the upcoming trial of the demon, and more than a handful of the Fae there had a personal vendetta against him. As she slipped mostly unnoticed between the groups of people she could plainly hear that many of them didn't care if there was a trial or not, they just wanted the demon sent to Oblivion, and all this talk of a trial was nonsense. But none of them would dare say that to Clarissa's face; she was their High Queen, and they owed her their loyalty and support in all things. They would go along with what she wanted to do, even though they didn't like it so much.

At last through the crowd and near the platform where the High Throne sat looming over the massive room and its occupants, the girl looked around and saw Clarissa, who was talking to the wizard Klaus. She eyed both of them, and then slipped out of the room silently.

She had her own plans to set in motion, and there was no time to waste.


	32. Chapter 32

_I sat down at my computer today determined to get this chapter finished and up for all my wonderful readers!__  
_

_Lauralithia2, Thank you so much for the kind comments!  
_

_loondynerdxd9, Your feelings about Clarissa are justified! Yes, she is an evil woman on a mission... but I'm not saying what it is yet:D  
_

_Taria Robotnik, 'The plot thickens!' Boy does it ever:) Hope you like what is coming up, there is LOTS more heading for our heroes... and a few things heading for our villains too!  
_

* * *

The first thing Sarah noticed when she woke up the following morning was that she had a hangover. She had never been drunk before and therefore had never had a hangover until then, but she was sure that this one was infinitely worse than a normal one brought on by too much mortal alcohol. The soft light of morning felt more like a firestorm that burned her retinas when she opened her eyes, so she kept them shut tight. Her head ached as if Ludo had crushed it with a boulder, and the nausea was unbearable; she felt like she would vomit at any moment.

"Jareth, make it stop!" she blindly felt around for him, but he wasn't beside her. Daring to open her eyes just a crack she saw that Jareth was not there, and she wasn't even in his room anymore. He must have carried her to her own room when he woke up.

Feeling worse with each passing second Sarah dragged herself out of bed and nearly fell flat on her face when she tried to stand. The floor seemed to be moving under her feet as she slowly made her way to the bathroom, and each step felt like she was wading through quicksand, making the progress forward extra hard. She was glad she hadn't opened her eyes more than a crack to see where she was going; if walking felt that bad then how would things look? The walls and everything in the room would, she was sure, look like a Salvador Dali painting.

"I'm so sorry, Sarah." Jareth's voice, gentle and soothing, came from beside her. He put an arm around her waist and supported her against him, half-carrying her forward. She just let her head lay limply on his shoulder, too tired to hold it up any longer, and made feeble attempts at moving her legs. "I should have stayed to help you this morning."

They were in the bathroom, and the light was much dimmer in there, so she opened her eyes. Everything was swimming, but the lack of bright light made it not seem too horrible. She focused her attention on the bathtub, doing her best to hold herself together until they got there.

The next few minutes were all a blur to her. All she could really remember was the sound of running water, dripping wet rags laid across her neck, and Jareth rubbing her back while she leaned over the edge of the tub. As the last bit of vomiting passed she made a vow that she would never drink enough to get drunk again. It really wasn't worth it.

She must have blacked out for a little while, because the next thing she knew she was sitting on Jareth's lap, a towel around her shoulders, while he sat on the floor with his back up against the side of the tub. He was rocking her gently back and forth, rubbing little circles on her arms where his hands rested, as he hummed the song he had sang to her in the ballroom.

"Welcome back, my love." he said when she had lifted her face to look at him. He was quite a sight for sore eyes. "You are looking better."

"Liar!" her voice croaked, though there was a slight smile on her lips. She lowered her head so it could lay more comfortably on his chest. "I don't look any better than I feel right now."

Jareth didn't say so, but she looked gorgeous to him. She was tired and the strain of the night before and that morning showed in her slightly drawn face. Her cheeks were more hollow than normal, and the dark smudges around her eyes were a sharp contrast to the paleness of her skin, but still he thought she was the prettiest thing he had ever laid eyes on. "It'll pass soon enough. A hot breakfast and a bath is what you really need right now."

Sarah groaned, the thought of moving from her comfortable position making her stomach turn again. "Couldn't we just sit here for a little while? Please?"

A frown settled on Jareth's face for the smallest instant before vanishing. Sarah didn't see it, but she felt the muscles tense up in his arm as if something was wrong. "Jareth? What is it?"

"Nothing." he idly pulled a lock of hair back over her shoulder. "There are just some things that I was engaged in before I came to your aid. But they can wait a little while."

"Is it anything I should know about?"

"Not really, though it wouldn't hurt if you did know about them." he looked down at her, then kissed her forehead. Her skin was hot and clammy. He thought about calling for Rosalinda, she would know what to administer to help the hangover symptoms go away, but dashed the idea away as quickly as it came up. She was angry with him, and he knew her well enough that seeking her out before she sought him out was a bad idea. He decided, instead, to send Hoffle or Sir Didymus for Rosalinda later on. "I just don't want to upset you by bringing up a subject that is painful to you."

Sarah pulled her hand out from the towel and laid it on his. "Its alright, Jareth. I need to start facing things, remember we talked about it last night, and speaking on a painful subject is a good place to start. You'll be here, so I'll be ok."

Jareth sighed. "It is going to be a long road, my love. I wish you didn't have to go down it."

"I'm just glad it will be with you." she felt the towel slip off her shoulder, letting the air cool the damp fabric of her shirt and thus her skin. It just barely entered her mind that Jareth was rather on the damp side himself from holding her. "Now, what were you doing?"

"There are a few things concerning a certain trial that need to be taken care of." he felt her shudder, but she didn't say anything. "There was a letter from Clarissa this morning, informing me that the trial is in a few days, and I am expected to attend. But there are a few things I need to do before then."

"Is there a chance that he will be set free?" she unconsciously tightened her free hand into a fist at the idea.

"Not now, unless-" he stopped suddenly, drawing a curious look from her. He could have hit himself over the head with a rock for that slip of the tongue. But, he told himself, whats said is said, and went on slowly and carefully. "Unless Rosalinda withdraws her permission to be examined in the Trial of Truth."

"What are you talking about? What has Rosalinda got to do with this?" Sarah sat up too suddenly and another wave of nausea washed through her. As if he could feel it himself Jareth touched her chest with his hand, and the dreadful feeling subsided.

"Rosalinda was suspected of being a tool in the fall of the Kingdom of Mist, she still is by some, Clarissa included." he explained, though was careful to omit certain details that Sarah didn't need to know right then. "At the trial I will give over my Chronicles, the complete history of what went on in my kingdom when I fought the demon, and it is signed by witnesses that can be brought forward if their own testimony is needed. Rosalinda has the Chronicles from the Mist, but as long as she is suspected of having helped the demon then they are not looked on as being true. Taking the Trial of Truth will prove her innocent, and then the Chronicles can be used against the demon."

"Wait." she held up her hand, stopping him from going on. "There is something that is not clear to me. She told me that the Mist was destroyed when its king tried to use black magic. She didn't say that the demon had anything to do with it."

Jareth felt his heart give a painful lurch, though he was careful to keep his exterior calm and collected. He was treading on potentially dangerous ground, ground he wanted to avoid until the right moment. "Demons are the creatures of black magic, and the king fell under his power. Once he was under the demon's control it was easy for him to destroy the whole kingdom. She told you the truth, only left out certain things."

"But why would she want to hide it from me?" Sarah was quickly growing exasperated, though she tried to keep herself under control. She wasn't angry at Rosalinda, she just didn't understand the need for all the secrecy. There was a mystery surrounding Rosalinda, she had felt it almost from the start, but it felt like every time she spoke with Rosalinda, or spoke to someone about her, the mystery got thicker. "And why did you hide it from me? You knew all along, but didn't say anything. Why?"

"Sarah," Jareth put a calming hand on her shoulder before she could work herself into a fit. "We all have secrets, and it is up to us whether or not we talk about them. Rosalinda has her secrets, and they will be revealed if and when she wants them to be, not before."

Sarah wasn't satisfied with his answer, it left a million little questions hanging there in front of her, but one look at his face, the firm set of his mouth and sharp look in his beautiful eyes, and she knew she wasn't going to get another out of him right then. And, honestly, she didn't feel like arguing about it. Her head was hurting, and the overall grungy feeling from her hangover sickness was simply horrible, so she decided to let everything drop for the moment.

"Ok. If that is all I'm going to get then I won't press it." Jareth pulled her back down to lean against him, and she obeyed without a word. Her aches and pains eased a little, as if just touching him was a cure for them. "Back to this trial. You were saying that the Chronicles would be used against the demon."

"It takes two Chronicles minimum to ensure that a guilty party is brought to justice, but the more we have the better. What happened to my kingdom is well known, there are many witnesses, so the truth of my Chronicles is beyond doubt. Once Rosalinda takes the Trial of Truth it will be known that she is innocent, and her Chronicles will be used."

"Are there any more Chronicles out there?" she stifled a yawn. His voice was so soft it was making her drowsy.

"Some, but they are hard to find. So many kingdoms were attacked, ruined or completely destroyed by the demon, and with them their Chronicles, so tracking them down is going to be hard. If we can find just one more with details about the demon then it would be even better.

"That is part of what made me leave you alone this morning. I was in a conference with some of my allies, kings and queens who are out for revenge on the demon. We are preparing ourselves for the trial, and whatever aftermath it might bring. There is sure to be someone out there who would want the demon set free, and we are going to make sure that he never makes it out of the courtroom alive." Jareth summoned a crystal out of the air and held it up. Sarah peered at the sphere through half opened eye but couldn't see what he saw. He stirred himself after looking into it, bringing her out of her half asleep state. "I'm sorry, but I do need to go now. The conference is still going, and I need to be there."

Jareth put an arm under her knees and held her to him as he stood up. Sarah didn't want him to leave right then, she felt so safe and secure in his arms, but she knew he had to be ready for the trial and didn't protest his decision to go.

"Jareth, before you go, could I ask a favor of you?" she spoke as he set her down on the chair in front of her vanity. She cast a look at herself in the mirror, was mildly surprised to find that she didn't look nearly as bad as she had expected, and turned back to rest her eyes on Jareth.

"Of course, beloved." he moved over to her wardrobe and opened it. She watched in amazement as he flipped through the many gowns in it as if he knew what he was looking for.

"My father, he wants to go back to the Aboveground, to the life he knows." Sarah felt a conflict of emotions flare up inside her. On one hand she didn't want her father to leave, but on the other she felt that putting some distance between them for a while would be a good thing.

"And you don't agree with him?" Jareth smiled triumphantly when he found what he was looking for, and pulled a long pink gown out of the wardrobe, laid it on the bed carefully. He then stood there looking at her, one hand on his hip, the other leaning against the bedpost, one ankle crossed over the other.

"I do agree with him on whatever he wants that will make him happy." she felt her voice quaver as if it was about to break, so she took a deep breath before going on. "But I don't want him to go back to an empty life. Once you reordered time for me. Can you do the same for him?"

Jareth thought silently for a few moments. It seemed to take him such a long time that Sarah grew afraid that he either couldn't or wouldn't be able to do it. Perhaps, she thought, ten years was too long a time to be reordered, or maybe he wasn't able to do it more than once. At last he came out of his thoughts, tilting his head to the side slightly.

"You want me to reorder time so that he can have his family back." he said slowly, as if making sure he understood her correctly, and she nodded. "Yes, I can do it. It will be tricky, getting everything the way it should be, but I will gladly reorder time for him. Should only take till the end of the day, and by then Karen and Toby will be at home waiting for him to return from some business trip or other. Jibber tells me he is fully recovered, he can return to the Aboveground anytime he wishes."

Words didn't seem enough to express her gratitude, so she remained silent, and Jareth didn't need words, he could see how happy she was just by the way her eyes were shining. They just stayed where they were, locked in a sort of trance that one cast over the other, silent and both happy.

"You should be going. That conference is waiting for you." Sarah broke herself out of the trance first, remembering that there was a day to get along with, and watched as Jareth took her bathrobe and slippers into the bathroom. The sound of running water came from inside, and he emerged a few seconds later.

"Can you stand up on your own? Good. You just go and have a hot bath, and I'll send Rosalinda to you with something to help the last of that hangover go away." he bent at the waist and kissed her on the forehead. "There will also be breakfast when you get out of the tub, though there will be no wine, I promise you."

Sarah laughed a little, and watched as he walked out the door. She hoped he changed before going into that conference again, it would raise questions if he showed up all wet and disheveled, and she didn't want him to have to explain that his fiance had a hangover. It wouldn't do if word got around that she had been drunk, people might start thinking she had a drinking problem.

A little while later found her submerged up to her chin in water and bubbles, planning out what she was going to do that day. It was going to be hard emotionally, she knew, as she needed to go and see her father. There were somethings that needed to be discussed. She wished she could put them off, but she wasn't going to be cowardly. She was tired of all those fears and demons interfering with her life, and she determined to start facing them down one at a time.


	33. Chapter 33

_Dear readers, forgive me for taking so long in getting the next chapter up! I have really been so busy there hasn't been time for writing until recently!_

_Anyway, I promised y'all something shocking a while back, and at the end of this chapter, the last 3 words in fact, you will have your surprise:)  
_

_Thank you all for reading and reviewing, I love each and every one of my loyal fans!  
_

* * *

Jareth hated conferences almost as much as he hated people who wished their children away. All the hours and hours of talking, debating, shouting and having to manage one's own anger while dealing with the tempers of others were enough to give him a horrible headache. Not that he would have minded a headache if there had been some fruits to his efforts; to have made some little progress would have justified the pain, but there had been no headway whatsoever. So, in the end, he had a headache and nothing to show for it.

Walking slowly around the conference table, pulling at his gloves until it was a wonder his fingers hadn't gone through the tips, he looked at the three giant crystal spheres that sat on the polished surface. The faces of three people, two kings and one queen, glowed inside them, and the collective sound of their constant arguing filled the room.

So engrossed were they with shooting insults at each other that they didn't notice the Goblin King conjure up another sphere and hold it close to his sharp eyes. An image of Sarah and her father walking down the streets of Goblin City filled it, and he gazed at it for a little while.

He had known the day wasn't going to be easy for his beloved Sarah, facing things wasn't easy even for someone as brave and determined as she was, and so he had looked in on her from time to time. Several times he had to fight down the urge to appear at her side for emotional support, especially when she started crying on her father's shoulder, but he knew that he would only be in the way, and crowding her could make things more difficult, and had remained where he was.

Now it looked as if the hardest part was over; they had gone out into the city and were talking in a much more comfortable manner than before. Sarah even had a smile on her face that was something along the lines of triumphant, as if she had conquered her first obstacle, and the sight was very comforting.

Jareth's attention was yanked from his crystal by a sudden flurry of particularly nasty insults that flew between the majesties. The raised voices brought the headache back in full force, and caused his temper to flare up like a wildfire.

"Oh, for Heaven's sake!" Jareth threw the crystal at the wall and it burst into a million tiny shards that scattered over the floor. The sound, like a crash of lightning in a small cavern, was enough to silence everyone in the room. All three pairs of terrified eyes looked at him as he ripped his silver velvet top coat off and threw it onto a chair with an air of complete disgust. "It is no wonder I hate conferences and never call them if they can be avoided! With the likes of you going at each others throats it is a good thing the spells surrounding your kingdoms prevent me from wishing each of you out of them and into my Bog! If such were not the case then you would all be up to your necks in sludge this very second!"

His voice echoed off every object in the room, and then slowly died out. The majesties shot gazes at each other that were icy, as if blaming one another for the Goblin King's angry outburst yet not daring to say it in spoken words.

The gazes were not lost on Jareth, nor were their meanings. "You would each do well to stop blaming each other." he warned, glaring at them in turn. The men all backed down, but Queen Lucinda, being the most rash among the group, shot a few more dirty looks. "Ahem, Lucy? I saw that!"

"That is Queen Lucinda to you!" she said proudly. He could only see her face, but something told him she was puffing out her chest in her typical indignant fashion. "I'm not a child anymore, Jareth!"

"You could have fooled me!" he showed his teeth in a sneer that made her drop her eyes as if trying to find a place to hide from him. She was a young queen, had only been on the throne of her ancestral family kingdom for about a hundred years, and there was still much for her to learn. Jareth had somehow found himself in the position of her avuncular when she had first taken her throne at a tender age of only fifteen, and it felt like every time he was in contact with her he had to put her back in her place or teach her a lesson in trivial things like manners and ruling wisely. She would turn out a good ruler, he was sure, but she had some growing up to do yet. "If memory serves you were the one who started all this arguing!"

"Gerard started it! He insulted me!" she pointed a finger at the silver haired King of the Eternal Pools. If she had been in the room Jareth wouldn't have hesitated to slap her hand.

"Shut up, Lucinda!" he barked so sharply she flinched as if he had struck her. She obeyed, a small pout on her face. "All this is getting us nowhere! I called all of you for the sole purpose of tracking down the chronicles of your respective kingdoms for use in the trial and so far I have yet to get so much as a straight answer to my questions!"

The three looked at each other again, though this time it was as if they were looking for some protection from the King's anger. He wouldn't really do anything to them; he wasn't into bringing his anger down on people unless they really deserved it, but it helped for them to think he would do something; it kept them in line when nothing else would.

"Now, are we done shouting?" he leaned against the table, tapping his boot with his riding crop. "I'll take your silence as an affirmation. If you would kindly answer my questions in a simple way then we can all get on with our day. Agreed?"

Aaron, a king taking great strides to rebuild his kingdom, spoke for the group. "We are all in agreement." he said firmly but quietly, his face turning a whiter shade of pale.

"Thank you. Now, starting with you Lucinda, oh, I beg pardon, Queen Lucinda," he mocked her and smirked. She blushed a bright red, but didn't say anything. "Do you have your chronicles?"

Lucinda held her head high and spoke, much to her credit, without faltering. "Yes, but they cover only the last two reigns. The older ones were lost and I haven't been able to find any trace of them."

Jareth asked the same question of the other three, and all of them gave the same answer. They all knew what it meant; they would have no say in how the demon was dealt with as there was nothing to link him to what happened to their kingdoms. Jareth and Rosalinda were the only ones with chronicles, and the demon would be sentenced on those alone.

"The only question is how will it sit with you?" Jareth hopped off the table and started pacing around it, hands clasped behind his back. "You can call for a drawn out trial, go through years and years of constant searching for evidence you may not find, and have the risk that the demon might be set free. I would understand if that is the course you would prefer to take, this involves each of you as much as it involves anyone, but I must ask that you give it some thought before committing to it."

"I, myself, am sorry that the demon won't be sentenced for his crimes against my kingdom." Aaron said calmly. He was, of the three there, the most collected and cautious. "But, frankly, I don't care if I am not mentioned in his list of crimes. If justice is served for you, then it is justice enough for me."

Surprisingly all the others nodded in agreement, and Jareth had to hide a smile: it was the first time they had all actually agreed with each other, and it couldn't have been more properly timed. It was a shame, he reflected, that though they were his allies they weren't allies to each other. They had been at one time, but things happened and alliances broke down, and now they didn't like or even respect each other anymore. It was the same with all the kingdoms of the Underground; if you had two allies the chances were that those two were ready to tear each others throats out, and you were caught in the middle.

"And what of your allies? How would they feel about this?" Jareth slipped a finger under the collar of his shirt and pulled at it. He didn't mind wearing shirts that closed all the way around his throat, but this particular one had never fit him properly and wearing it made him feel trapped. It was just bad luck that he had grabbed it out of his wardrobe in his haste to get back to the conference after being with Sarah that morning.

"I'm sure they will feel the same." Aaron said. "Might I suggest we break and discuss this with our own allies just to be sure, and then meet back here later today?"

Everyone agreed, and the kings vanished. Lucinda stayed, much to Jareth's surprise; he was sure she would do anything to get away from him. Not that she hated him, he knew, but she was afraid of him most of the time.

"Yes, Lucinda?" he looked at her kindly, trying to put her at ease as she was obviously agitated.

"Jareth, I have a favor to ask." she was trembling, making the glitter on the neckline of her gown shimmer like a thousand little lights flashing on and off in a rapid and random pattern. "I have no proof, but I know that the demon stole my family's Royal Pendant."

"Really?" he frowned. "Why would he do that?"

"I don't know. But there was a story, known only to the family, that after the demon had gone from my kingdom the chest where my family's pendant was kept was found broken into and empty." she looked around her as if to make sure no one was listening in. "We never told anyone, it is too humiliating to admit that a sacred piece of our history had been stolen out from under out very noses, and to this day no one knows that it is gone."

"Why tell me this? Why now?" he formed his fingers into a steeple under his chin.

Lucinda blushed. "Because you are the only one I feel I can trust."

"I don't know if I should be flattered or dismayed!" he leaned his head off to the side. "Please don't tell me that my being the only one you can trust is due to a complete lack of friends!"

"No, no! Nothing like that!" she said quickly, jumping up in her haste to put those thoughts out of his mind. "You see, with this trial I might finally have a chance to get the piece back if that demon really did take it. This is the first and very likely the only chance I will have to take back what is rightfully mine, and I was hoping that perhaps you would help."

The questions started racing in his mind, but he didn't show it. "And how could I do that?"

"Perhaps there might be a chance at seeing him alone for a little while, who knows?" she looked at him suggestively, saying but not saying what was on her mind. "Perhaps someone with greater strength and power could convince him to say where it is. Or at least give an idea?"

Jareth grinned and nodded. "Such things have been known to happen. Who knows when they might occur again? It is bound to happen." he said smoothly. "Have a nice day, Lucinda."

The meeting over she nodded to him and vanished. Jareth leaned back slowly in his chair, the thoughts in his mind flowed quickly and brought up a multitude of disturbing questions for which he had no answers.

Why would a demon take a Royal Pendant?

JSJSJS

It was a typical day in Goblin City. The noise level was up to near deafening as goblins and other Underground creatures argued, laughed, shouted and made a general ruckus as they went about their lives. Rosalinda took no more notice of it than she did the goblins who watched her and parted a clear path before her as she walked through them. She was in her own world, a very lonely world, with only her thoughts and emotions to keep her company.

Swiftly as a stream her thoughts flowed from one subject to another, all of them connected by one common element or another. At the moment she was thinking of Sarah, with whom she had spent a little time that morning. The poor girl was in need of something to help a hangover, and Rosalinda was only too happy to help her.

Somehow they had started talking about what was bothering them, Sarah about her father and last night, and Rosalinda about the day before. She had vowed not to mention a single thing about how it had gone, but Sarah had a way of gaining trust that was truly remarkable, and she had a sympathetic ear like none other that Rosalinda knew, and she had soon opened up and told her everything, including what awaited her with the Trial of Truth.

"In may sound like an easy thing to do, but it is going to be hard." she had explained. "Imagine having to relive the last ten years of your life for a few hours, every little thing hurting you just as much as it did the first time, all the things you have tried to make peace with being stirred up again: every hope, every fear, every tiny little thing."

"Relive it?" Sarah had laughed bitterly, looking away from her. "I'm having a hard enough time dealing with the fact that it ever happened!"

Rosalinda knew exactly how she was feeling, and said so. "I told you a little about my past, and it was hard to deal with. But I did deal with it, made as much peace with it as I could, and now all of it is about to be tossed up and disturbed all over again. I will be put into a trance, and will relive the relevant events. With the Truth Crystal a Seer will witness everything, and as only the truth will be seen he will know I am innocent of the crimes that everyone suspects me of. Then, and only then, can my Chronicles be used."

Sarah had pulled at her tight lace sleeves in an upset way. "This is all just such a mess. Why does everything have to be so difficult? Couldn't Jareth just wish the demon back here and deal with him? It would be so easy to just wish him away to Oblivion."

"Wishing things from one place to another doesn't work just like that." Rosalinda had snapped her fingers at the last word. Sarah had started at the sudden move, but calmed down a few seconds later; she was wound up like a spring. "Jareth can wish himself and anyone else around his realm with a single thought, but only if they are in his realm at the time. Once out of his realm they are beyond his power. The demon is under the power of Clarissa now because he is in her kingdom, and he can't be wished out of there by anyone else unless she allows it."

Understanding had come to Sarah's face and she nodded. "There are similar laws where I come from, but I never thought there were such restrictions on magic! Don't tell me that there are restrictions on how a demon can be done away with."

"Demons are hard to kill, but there are several ways to do it. If he is in human form he can be stabbed through the heart with a knife, that would be enough to kill him, but they don't often take on that form for that very reason. Oblivion is not a death sentence, it is sending him away to a place where he can never return from, but sending him there is very hard and draining for the person carrying it out, and it can only be done if the demon is captive." Rosalinda had sighed. "I know it is complicated, but that is the way it is."

"Is going through with this Trial of Truth the only way to end it?" she had asked quietly.

"Perhaps not the only way, but it is the quickest. Jareth knew that when he put it on the table, and I knew that when I agreed to go through with it."

Jareth. Rosalinda's thoughts drifted to him. He hadn't been to see her at all since last night, which was just as well; she probably wouldn't have consented to see him even if he had asked as nicely as possible. Though she knew he had done everything he thought right, and in the end it would work out to where she would at least have some justice, she was still very angry with him. She would get over it quickly enough, she wasn't one to hold onto grudges for very long, but she just needed a little time.

"No doubt I will forgive him before we go to the trial." she sighed as she went up the walk to her home, though she knew forgiveness would come much sooner than that. By the time the sun was setting she would have let go of her anger and moved on. "How I wish I could let go of the way I feel about him as easily as that! To just stop caring and let it go, how wonderful it would be."

Rosalinda stopped dead at her door, her hand resting on the handle, when those words came out of her mouth. She was lying to herself, and she knew it: there was not the slightest desire in her heart to stop loving him the way she did, for if there had been she would have let it all go a long time ago. To go through life without those feelings, however much they were not returned, made everything seem bleak and empty. She had loved him for so long that it seemed her whole life revolved around it, was built on it, and to have it go away would leave her with nothing but memories and a lifetime of shattered dreams.

Not that there was much more to her life right then besides memories and shattered dreams. They seemed to litter her whole world from day to day, everywhere she looked she saw something to remind her of what had been and what she had hoped would be. And woven through them was the unrequited love she had for Jareth.

"Memories, shattered dreams, unrequited love." she whispered to herself as her head leaned against the door frame, her eyes closed lightly against the tears. Those three things were what made up her life, and it hurt worse than if someone had stabbed her through the heart. She, like all Fae, believed in Fate, and wondered why it had dealt her such a hard hand.

Slowly she pushed her door open and stepped inside, though she didn't bother to close it behind her; it was such a warm and lovely day, and she was in desperate need of sunshine to lift her spirits. Running a finger under her large eyes, wiping the dampness away, she set a pot on the stove for tea and laid out her mid morning snack of cookies. She wouldn't allow herself to wallow in her misery, it would only hurt and get her nowhere.

The door slammed shut so suddenly that Rosalinda jumped, nearly knocking the tray off the table. There was no breeze that day, no reason the door should shut of its own accord, so she instantly became cautious, looking all around her for any signs that someone had entered the cottage without her knowing.

Even as her eyes wandered around the room the sunlight faded towards darkness. Rosalinda, a chill creeping up her spine, took a dagger off of it's stand on the counter, held it in front of her protectively. Taking light steps she went over to the door and tried to pull it open, but it was sealed shut. A test of the windows showed them to be sealed just as tightly, and she knew she was trapped inside her house. She faced the room, lit only by the fire on the stove, a watched for any movement. She knew she wasn't alone.

"Who is there?" she demanded fearlessly of the unseen intruder.

"You don't need that." a mans voice came from the doorway of the tower. She headed towards it calmly, and though she could see quite well in the dark she couldn't see the person who had spoken.

"I don't think you are the best judge of that. I will keep it until I know for sure that there is no danger." she stood in the doorway, though she wasn't relying on her sight to find the intruder; her ears were open to the slightest sound.

"If I wanted you dead then you would be by now." the voice came from inside the tower, but another sense told her that was not where the person was. He was playing with her, throwing his voice around to confuse her.

"I wouldn't be too sure of that. Either you have no idea who you are dealing with, or you are arrogant enough to think that I am not as powerful or as skilled as you. Both would be a mistake!" she kept her voice loud enough for the person to hear and low enough for her to hear any sound that he might make.

And make a sound he did, a light tap of a boot on the wood floor right behind her. She spun around with incredible speed and stopped the blade a hairs width away from his throat. He looked surprised at her skill, it was enough to rival the greatest knife fighters in the Underground, and a smile lifted the corners of his mouth.

"I take it back, you would have put up a better fight than most. Would probably still be standing right now if I were trying to kill you." he looked down at her in admiration. She studied his handsome features carefully, trying to place at least from where in the Underground he came from. "You really are as skilled as is said, Your Royal Majesty!"

* * *

_Da Da DUNNNNN! I'll bet you didn't expect to find out Rosalinda was a QUEEN! HAHAHAHHAHA! Hope you enjoyed the shocker I had in line for you!_


	34. Chapter 34

_I'm so sorry it took so long to get another chapter up for my wonderful fans and constructive critics! Just so you know I have in no way abandoned this story, my mind plagues over it day and night, it has just been a little hard to find time for writing as of late. Hopefully I will be able to start giving y'all updates more frequently:)_

_Thanks for all the comments, and do enjoy this chapter!_

* * *

A few moments of tense silence filled the darkened room, broken only by the gentle chimes of a clock that sat nearby. Rosalinda continued to study the face of her unwelcome visitor, taking in every detail as she compared them to a face that had risen in her memory. He, wisely, didn't try to move away from the knife at his throat, but stood like a statue and studied her every bit as carefully as she did him.

"Giric?" the name fell from her lips so suddenly that she hardly realized it was she who had spoken first. There was a twinkle in his smoky grey eyes at the name, and the little smirk on his face widened into a genuine smile of pleasure and relief.

"You remember me then? I had thought you wouldn't recognize me after all this time." said he, placing a hand on her forearm and pressing it lightly as if to tell her to remove the knife that was dangerously close to cutting into his skin. She took the hint and lowered it slowly.

"I almost didn't." she said stiffly, switching the weapon from one hand to the other. He noticed she didn't lay it down and knew at once that she wasn't at all comfortable with his being there, and by the way her eyes shifted about he knew she was looking for a way out of the darkness. "You were lucky I didn't take you down as my first impulse told me too. Intruders into my sanctuary rarely walk out alive."

The room had suddenly turned as cold as her tone, at least it had to Giric. A chill worked up his spine and he had an urge to pull his cloak more tightly about his tall and muscular frame, but he resisted. "Had I known that the talk about your skill was true then I certainly wouldn't have entered your home the way I just did, or at least I would have had my own weapon drawn to protect myself."

Rosalinda's eyes were filled with ice when she looked at him, and he could feel them like painful pricks of cold needles on his skin, but he refused to show his discomfort however powerful she made it. She, though filled with a great anger at seeing him, couldn't help but admire his determination to keep up strong front and unshakable demeanor. "You had better tell me why you are here and then get out of this part of the Underground." she said, turning away from him with a toss of her red hair. "Jareth made it quite clear that you were not welcome here, and I happen to agree with him on that point."

Giric stepped out of the darkness beside her so unexpectedly she nearly jumped out of her skin. He smiled as if he enjoyed taking her off guard. "Precisely why I went through all the trouble of making my way here under cover of darkness and didn't bother to seek an interview with my cousin; I figured I was still in both of your bad graces and neither of you would see me."

"Glad to see that you have a little bit of brains in that head of yours!" she growled, every word shot through with sarcasm and cut off sharply at the end. "Now let us see you make better use of it and leave right away. If you have something to say to me then do so, but stay not a moment longer than is needed, and be sure to take your shadows with you. They are even less welcome than you are."

The teapot on the stove let out a shrill whistle, breaking through the intense silence that had filled the room. Rosalinda, instead of pushing past her unwanted visitor to get to the stove, merely waved her hand at the flames. They flickered briefly then went out, leaving behind only a puff of smoke that quickly dispersed into the room. The smell of it, coupled with the suffocating presence of black shadows, was too much for Rosalinda to take; she needed fresh air and light, anything to drive away the overwhelming feeling of being trapped in a tight space.

Giric could see a light sheen of sweat breaking out on her fair skin as she moved away from him and to the front door. She had never liked the shadows; they were beyond her control, and being in the clutches of something that she couldn't control was the one thing she couldn't abide. Which was exactly why he was using them so; now he held the upper hand and could get what he wanted.

"You really want me gone, don't you Rosalinda mine?" he asked at length, leaning against the table in the middle of the room, arms crossed lightly over his chest. Against her better judgment she looked over her shoulder at him, curious what he was about. He was unashamedly staring at her.

"I am not yours!" she said sharply, glaring at him with near to perfect loathing. He could feel it radiating from her and finally flinched in pain. Quickly he dropped his eyes to the floor to study the fancy rug that lay under his feet. "And yes, I want you gone!"

"And just how much do you want me gone?" he brushed a long black lock of hair behind his pointed ear in a nonchalant manner. "So much that you would do anything to get me away from here? Oh, have no fear; I'm not going to ask for your hand again, there in no danger of that."

Though she knew it was all in her head Rosalinda felt as if the room were filled with an oppressive and stifling heat. She tried wishing herself out of it, but no matter how hard she wished herself away she still remained trapped in the darkness with Giric. He was quite at home in such an environment, even more so than being in the light because he had control over it, but Rosalinda felt herself edging ever closer to complete panic.

"So long as you don't, then the answer is yes: I would do anything to get you out of my home and out of Goblin City!" she closed her eyes and tried to take a deep breath, but couldn't seem to manage it. Head spinning, she pressed her hand to her forehead to wipe the sweat away, hoping that moving would help keep herself together for just a while longer.

"Anything. That is the word I was looking for." he spoke so close to her ear she jumped; he hadn't made a sound in moving so close to her. Her first instinct was to put some distance between them; his being so close was most unwanted on her part, but he put an arm around her torso, preventing her from getting so much as an inch away. "Now I can do anything."

"What-" she cried out, struggling against his grip. The knife was still in her hand and she tried to use it on his exposed arm, but a powerful blast of cold air blew the weapon away. It hovered in empty space, turning end over end for seemingly the longest time, then continued its flight away from her until it landed in a snowdrift that had suddenly appeared.

Blinking at the sudden light that had taken place of the crushing darkness she ceased her struggles against Giric. Slowly her eyes wandered over her surroundings; the snow covered ground, so deep that it completely covered her feet and ankles almost to the tops of her boots, was enough to confirm her fears that she was no longer in the Labyrinth Realm; it was summertime there, nowhere in all Jareth's land would there be so much as a snowflake. But it was the forest to her left, dark and forbidding, that gave her cause to worry. Just looking at it gave her such a chill of terror that she knew there was something terrible going on within its quiet depths.

Whatever it was that gave her such a feeling she had no desire to find out. Quickly she closed her eyes and wished herself back to the Labyrinth, anticipating at any second to feel the hot air of that realm taking the place of the deep cold that surrounded her.

JSJSJS

Walking along side her father down the streets of Goblin City gave Sarah the perfect opportunity to think. They hadn't said much since leaving the castle, instead a comfortable silence had built up between them, filling the space just as well as any conversation possibly could. She had thought there would be long and detailed talks about everything, the bringing up of painful subjects and plowing through them as quickly as was possible, but after their first talk there seemed no need to say more.

She felt like such an idiot, getting drunk and bringing about a scene that had been terrible for them both, and somehow that was what bothered her more than her discovering she had been in denial ever since coming to the Underground. It had taken her most of the morning to work up the courage to apologize for her conduct, and when at last she had managed to get the words out her father had not said any of the things she had convinced herself he would say to her.

"Sarah, we have both gone through something that we will have to work out. We were both in denial, you were not the only one, and what happened brought everything out in the open. Now that it is there we can both start dealing with it." he had been so gentle about it, no accusations or scoldings, just quiet understanding.

"But I don't know how to start." she had sighed, feeling suddenly lost and unsure of where she was supposed to go or what she was supposed to do. In that moment she would had traded almost anything for a guidebook out of her current situation. Running the Labyrinth when time was against her was easier than this.

He had smiled sadly. "Nor do I, really. But I know this much; there will be good days, and there will be bad days, and there will be days that are mixed with both. We will just have to take them one at a time, and eventually we will both get through it."

Sarah, thinking over what he had said, looked over at her father as they wandered along the goblin filled streets. He had never been anything really spectacular, was just an average guy with an average life who would never be more than just average, but in that moment he had given her the best advice she could have ever hoped to hear. Take things one little bit at a time, and everything would be fine in the end.

She was worried about him, though, and no matter how hard she tried to reason it out the fear of what his life was going to be like still remained. Just how was he going to react to having his life reset to the way it had been? Would he be able to live out a normal life while having to deal with the traumas of the old? She instantly thought that of the two he was going to have the worst time of it; in her case she was just opening up a new chapter, but in his it was like starting the story all the way from the beginning, and she had no idea how he was going to handle it.

"Sarah? Something wrong?" he asked, breaking into her inner musings. She realized at once that she had stopped in the middle of the street, blocking a row of guards from going on their progression. Smiling sheepishly she stepped aside and took her dad's offered arm. "You weren't here just now, were you?"

"No." she debated whether or not to tell him what she was thinking, but decided against it. There was no need to bring up doubts and uncertainties that would hover over their heads all day, it was not what she wanted him to remember on his last day in the Underground. So far they were having a lovely time just being together, just being father and daughter, and that was how she wanted it to be for the rest of the time. "I was just thinking about that huge junk pile outside the city gates, and wondering if it really has to be there. I don't like clutter."


	35. Chapter 35

_Thanks for the lovely comments, my dear readers:) I spent all morning working on this and think I have it perfect. Forgive me if it drags a little, but there is a whole lot going on and I don't want to spoil everything by revealing the whole plot outright:)  
_

_Enjoy, and comment at always!  
_

* * *

"Clutter, clutter, all around me clutter!" Jareth growled, looking around him at the piles and piles of both trash and treasure that filled the storage oubliette beneath the castle. He was quite alone, and the only sound was the light buzzing of fairies as they hovered around the stacks of dusty items that filled the oubliette, and the occasional clinking sound when one dug into a box filled with shiny glass things. Fairies loved things that shone when light hit them, and were not above stealing them once they found a piece they wanted.

Sighing heavily, Jareth scribbled down a note to himself to get Hoggle down there to spray for the pests and find out how they were getting in. It was not the first time that they had worked their way into the castle storage, it happened once every decade or so, but Jareth promised himself that this would be the last time. There were things down there that he knew Sarah would like, things treasured by his mother that he had packed away when she had died, and he didn't want them being picked over by some pesky little fairies that would only ruin them.

But he wasn't there to start going through his mother's or his father's things. In addition to personal possessions there was also quite the collection of papers and books on every subject involving the Labyrinth, everything from a complete history of his family's ancestral kingdom to the law of the land, taking in personal diaries and correspondence along the way. Most of it was compiled down into smaller volumes for library use and easier accessibility, but from time to time a more detailed account of certain things was needed, and it was for this reason that he was down there at that very moment.

"And I thank you, Clarissa, from the bottom of my heart for giving me cause to enter this gloomy place for the first time in decades!" he said with more than a hint of frustration as he thumped a heavy leather-bound book on the table. A cloud of glittering fairy dust rose up and caught him in the face, causing him to sneeze. Quickly he grabbed a linen handkerchief from his belt and covered his nose before he sneezed again. "If you had only let me do away with that demon in my way then I wouldn't need to take this brush up course in law!"

Law; it was that one little word that kept the job of being king from being fun. It took up too much time, gave too many headaches, and rarely worth it in the long run. The many hours he had spent in the company of his law teacher were ones he still looked on with a grimace and a bitter thought of how much more he could have done with his youth had he not been kept at a desk for such a large portion of the time.

What he really needed right then was Rosalinda. In so many ways they were exact opposites of each other; where he was rash she was cautious, where he was unreasonable she was reasonable, where he was impatient she had enough patience to outlast a saint. He had no patience for anything that he disliked, but she had a way of putting her own dislikes aside to focus on the task at hand, and that was why he needed her so much at that moment.

But every time he thought of summoning her to him he cringed inwardly. Things had been tense between them for some time, and last night had only aggravated an already delicate situation. The last thing he wanted to do was be the cause of any further incidents that would make things between them any worse than they already were, and he feared having her with him right then was a recipe for something unpleasant.

But he needed help going over the tedious subject of law, and no one was more knowledgeable about the subject than Rosalinda. Having been accused of taking a part in the destruction of her own kingdom and unable to convince anyone to listen to her side of the story she had spent many years studying law, trying desperately to find some loophole or stipulation that she could use to her advantage. No such thing could she find short of taking the Trial of Truth, which she couldn't ever stand the thought of doing, but she had built up an incredible legal mind.

"Just ask if she will assist you. You can but try." he sighed, knowing that trying was the best and only thing he could do right then. If she came to help him muck his way through the sticky business of law then it would be over and done with in a much shorter time, and if she refused then he wouldn't spend time afterwards wondering if things would have gone faster if she had come.

A puff of glitter and an instant later he was standing on her doorstep, eyes blinking rapidly as they adjusted to the bright sunlight. The noise of the town hit his ears like a hammer and he had to wait a few seconds before he grew accustomed to it. He raised his hand up to use the knocker, but then changed his mind and simply rapped on the door with his fist; she would know it was him by the sound.

A group of goblins going by looked at him strangely; it had been years since their king had paid the lady a visit, and they started whispering back and forth about what he could mean by it. Jareth heard their excited chatter and glanced over at them, at which they backed off a few steps and quieted down to wait for him to speak. He smirked wickedly and saw them all shiver in terror, and then he waved his hand at them. They all cowered, their slow minds all thinking that he had thrown something at them, and waited to be hit by a spell. When nothing happened they didn't know what to think, and just stood there staring at their king, unsure of what to do.

"Well? Run!" he shouted so sharply and suddenly that they all jumped and scattered in all directions. He laughed in amusement, then turned back to face the door and brushed some imaginary dirt off his sleeve. "Sometimes I do wonder what my ancestors were thinking when they took up the job of ruling over the goblin hordes; such stupid creatures on the whole, but they are useful when it comes to certain things."

Rosalinda hadn't answered him, and so he knocked again, this time louder. "Rosalinda? If you don't want to talk to me then that is fine, but kindly do me the courtesy of telling me so to my face. This cold silence doesn't suit you." he said to the door, certain that she was right behind it listening, ear pressed against the wood. "At least give me a sign so that I will know you won't speak with me. A rustling of the curtains would do."

He looked at the curtains and waited for them to shift, but they remained still. A frown creased his forehead and without thinking twice about it he turned the latch on the door, and was surprised when it opened easily. He stuck his head in and peered around, expecting to see Rosalinda standing there waiting for him, but all that he saw was just an empty house. There wasn't even the sound of her breathing to greet him.

Slowly he fully entered the house, left the door wide open behind him. There was a feeling in the air that she had been there not long before, and by the sight of her tea-things laying out and waiting for use he knew she had left suddenly. And she hadn't been alone; he could just feel another presence in the house, one dark and cloudy, and yet somehow familiar to him.

As he went around the table in the center of the room, taking note of the empty dagger holder on the counter, his fingers brushed lightly against the finely polished wood. He drew back as if stung when he touched a section of wood that the unknown visitor had been in contact with, knowing at once who had been there.

"Giric!" he hissed, clenching his fist. His face grew dark and the frown lines between his mismatched eyes deepened as his brows drew so close together they nearly touched. "You should have stayed in the Unknown parts of the Underground!"

Muttering curses under his breath he went back to the castle, his mind dreaming up all the things he would do to Giric as soon as he got his hands on him.

JSJSJS

The feeling of cold didn't go away, if anything it seemed to intensify the more Rosalinda wished herself away from the dreary place. Opening her eyes at last, knowing that Giric was inhibiting her ability to leave without his say so, she cast a glare at him that was fully intended to cause him pain. He flinched ever so slightly.

"Where are we?" she demanded, wrapping her arms tightly around her torso in an attempt to warm herself just a little. Giric noticed and tried to drape the loose folds of his cloak over her shoulders, but she drew away at the gesture, determined to accept no acts of charity from him no matter how cold she might be.

"On the outskirts of what was once the center of power of the High Monarchs. Believe it or not this depressing piece of land was once lush and pleasing to behold, until the death of the father of our current High Queen. You feel it, don't you? That dark foreboding when you look at the woods?" he watched as she moved away from him until she was standing on the very edge of the forest. He couldn't help smiling slightly at the vivid spot of color her red hair brought to the bleak land around them. "They say that when Clarissa's father was murdered this piece of his realm died with him, and I have to say I agree with it."

Peering into the dark recesses made Rosalinda shudder, and she quickly turned away and landed her eyes on Giric. For all she hated the sight of him and the unpleasant memories it conjured up, it was better than the alternative. "I don't see what you are getting at, Giric, and nor do I really care. Just tell me why I am here, and then be so kind as to allow me to return home."

Giric drew his cloak even more tightly around himself. "This place, being abandoned like it is and rumored to be cursed, is the perfect location for conspirators to gather and make their plans. It is for this reason I have brought you here, as a fellow conspirator."

Rosalinda drew herself up and held her head high. "And just what do you mean by conspirators? You are devious enough to be one, that I will grant without argument, but for my part you have no right to call me so."

He surprised her by nodding slightly as if he agreed with her as he knelt by the same snowdrift that her dagger had landed in. He reached down into the small hole left by the weapon, felt around for a second or two, and then smiled when he found what he searched for. "You are not a conspirator yet, Rosalinda, but by the time the sun has gone down you will be." he withdrew his hand from the drift, the dagger clutched firmly in his fist.

"Don't sound to sure of that, Giric." she defiantly held her chin high as he approached. "Just who do you think you are anyway? You dare to enter the Labyrinth, you enter my home without permission, you kidnap me-"

Giric shook his head. "No, Rosalinda, that is not true. You good as gave me permission to take you away from there. Must I quote back what you said about doing anything to get me out of Jareth's realm?" he held the dagger out to her, and she angrily snatched it from him. "Admittedly I used a trick to obtain permission to take you, but still you gave it me."

"You kidnapped me," she went on as if he hadn't said anything, sliding the dagger into her belt. "You brought me here to this abandoned place, and then you hang on me the title of conspirator to something that you have yet to enlighten me on. Just what gives you the right to behave like this?"

"Not what, but who." he laid a gentle hand on her and nodded towards the forest. She turned and caught sight of a small slight shape, clad in a grey and black cloak, moving towards them from the dark depths. Little by little, almost seeming to glide across the fallen branches and logs that littered the path, the figure came closer and closer until it stood within a few feet of them. Rosalinda couldn't see anything more that a pair of amber eyes looking at her from under a large hood, the rest of the face was hidden by a large scarf. "Allow me to introduce the High Princess Penelope to you, Queen Rosalinda."

Two small hands slid out of the cloak and went up to pull down the scarf to reveal the rest of the face. Rosalinda knew her instantly, the small and delicate features were ones that, though she had seen only rarely, were not easily forgotten, but she was bewildered as to the purpose of having her there. It was well known that Penelope couldn't speak a word, and was the generally agreed on by everyone that she wasn't all there in the head. So what could Giric mean by bringing the two of them together?

"Oh, she is far from being the simple-minded creature we were all led to believe she was. In fact, she is the lead conspirator in this matter." Giric answered her unspoken question. Rosalinda shoved his hand off of her shoulder, realizing for the first time that his bare skin was touching hers, but not before sending him a warning never to touch her unless she allowed it. He bowed his head. "Forgive me, it was not intended."

"Just don't do it again!" she said sharply, the warm place where he had touched her quickly turning cold. She shivered, wishing she had something warm to wear on top of her lightweight gown. Using a heating spell crossed her mind, but she had no idea how long she was to be out there or what she might need her strength for, and the constant use of any spell was physically very draining so she shoved the idea aside. "Now, if you wouldn't mind, tell me why you committed the capital offense of abducting a monarch, and brought me to this horrible place. If you return me to the sanctuary of the Labyrinth right away I won't inform Jareth or Clarissa of what you have done, or at least demand leniency in your punishment."

Penelope's face was completely serious but betrayed no emotion at what Rosalinda had said, making the other lady wonder at her. Such threats of punishment for a capital offense were not ones to be made or taken lightly, just the mention of them should have made the princess at least blink or show some concern for her own well-being, but instead she seemed not to care very much.

Quickly, Penelope turned to Giric and laid a hand on the back of his. He nodded a moment later, as if hearing something that was between just the two of them. "Penelope has charged me to say that the reason you are here has to do directly with Clarissa. Our conspiracy, as I called it before, is directed against the High Queen."

Rosalinda drew away from the two of them in horror. "Whatever do you mean? You plot conspiracy against the High Queen, and you want me to join in on it? Really, Giric, too many years in the Unknown have driven you crazy!" she looked at him, amazed that outwardly he appeared to be perfectly normal while the inside of his mind was, she was certain, far from well. "Whatever it is you wanted me to do you can just forget about it. I will not take part in some plot against the very person we are all supposed to be loyal to, not unless there is some very good reason for it, and believe me I don't think that such a reason really exists!"

She turned to leave, fully intent on walking all the way back to the Labyrinth if she had to, but Giric grabbed her arm and held her in place. _"Believe me there is a reason!" _his mind spoke to hers. The urgency she felt from him gave her pause and she knew that whatever he and Penelope were up to they believed it to be most serious. _"I know we are supposed to be loyal to Clarissa, to any and every High Monarch, but there is a stipulation that states if she has breached the trust we all placed in her then all loyalty is instantly forfeit."_

_"But what has she done to breach our trust? For all we have never gotten along I have never been given reason to think she has done anything to cause me to withdraw my loyalty." _she didn't try to pull away from Giric, even though she was uncomfortable with the telepathic link that was established between them.

_"What if I were to tell you that she was the mind behind all the horrible acts the demon committed against the Fae Realms? He didn't just do them on a whim or for his own amusement, though that is what we were all meant to think. His mission was to collect the royal pendants from each realm." _a little frown of uncertainty covered Rosalinda's brow.

_"And what has that to do with me?" _she thought back to him, pointedly directing her gaze ahead instead of on him._ "To be sure, if she is guilty of what you accuse her of, what she did was criminal, but they are only between herself and the owners of the stolen property. Were I not a disgraced queen then maybe I would be able to put my hand into this, but such is not the case. My only interest here is getting the justice I deserve for what she has done to my kingdom, if what you say about her guilt is true, and that is all."_

_"It has everything to do with you as far as what she plans to do with them!" _he snapped, wishing he could force her to look at him. _"All I want is for you to be reasonable, like you always were before, and hear me out. I beg you not to be obstinate at the moment when I need you the most. I know you are still angry with me over what happened between the three of us, but I ask you to put that aside for just a little while, and afterwards I give you full permission to demand of me whatever you will. If you want my life, then it is yours, only just come with me now."_

He had wanted her to look at him, observe him as if he were really there and worthy of her notice, and at last he got his wish. Rosalinda eyed him critically, looking deep into his eyes for any signs of deception that might be there. But there was none, not the slightest hint, only a deep hope that she would listen, and a great fear that she would dismiss him. _"You are in earnest, are you not, Giric? I do believe you are, you wouldn't have put your life in my hands otherwise."_

"_You will come with us willingly then?" _it was impossible for her not to feel the surge of relief that raced through him when she nodded. His hand slid down into hers and squeezed it gratefully, and his face fell ever so slightly when she withdrew from him without returning the gesture.

"Willingly? No, not exactly, but I see little by way of choices here. You are blocking me from returning to the Labyrinth, so I can either stay here and freeze or give you a perfect excuse to tote me on your shoulder, neither of which are worth considering."

Crossing her arms tightly in a futile attempt to hold onto what little warmth she had, she faced the forest and prepared to go where she was directed. Almost immediately Giric removed his heavy cloak and laid it over her shoulders, covering her from head to foot in soft warmth. "I don't need this!" she spat.

"Don't let your pride get in the way, Rosalinda." Giric cautioned, doing up the neck clasp and tucking the folds of the garment around her as if she were his most treasured possession. "Dressed as you are your strength would be completely drained before we got halfway to our destination, and there is no telling if you will need it later on. You need not thank me for it."

And thank him she did not, but just stepped in behind the princess and followed her into the woods, head still held high. Giric followed close behind, and decided it would be best not to speak to her for a little while, however eager he was to talk over certain subjects that remained unresolved between them.


	36. Chapter 36

_Voila! Here is yet another chapter in the ongoing story:) I'm sure y'all are curious about Giric, just who and what he is, and this should shed some light on that... but only some light...:D_

_Thanks for all the lovely reviews, y'all are just wonderful!_

* * *

All alone, tucked into the curve of the great hornlike decoration of the throne with knees drawn up to her chest, was Sarah. She cut a strange figure, almost insignificant against the size of the massive chair, and the pink of her gown was a bright spot against the otherwise dull colors of the room.

What she was doing on the seat that only the Goblin King was allowed to sit on was anyone's guess, but the dull truth was that she just wanted to get a few quiet moments of peace and solitude to herself after spending all day out in a goblin filled city. They might not realize it as it was normal for them, but hordes of the ugly creatures made such a racket that it left her head spinning and ears screaming for rest.

Her hoped for quiet and rest was short lived however by the sudden rumbling of thunder coming down the halls and entering the throne room like a storm. Her eyes shot open at the noise, and the serene expression that had settled on her face vanished in a split second and was replaced by one of curiosity and partial terror.

_Please don't tell me that was Jareth losing his temper at something or other! _She begged, gaze fixed on the stairs that led to the Escher Room, or so she assumed they still did. All this time she had not gotten up the courage to go all the way back up those stairs lest she be trapped in that impossible room again. Not that she was worried about being stuck in there forever, but thinking back on what had gone on in that room gave her such a strong feeling of vertigo that she banished all thoughts of going back in there for quite a while.

Jareth's voice followed another roar of thunder, and then, as if he had been blown in by the force of the sounds behind him, Hoggle raced into the room. He didn't see her there, but ran blindly to the throne and threw himself behind it with a terrified cry. Slowly Sarah peeked over and saw him shaking, his head ducked low and covered with his hands as if to protect it from some heavy object that was about to come crashing down on it.

"Hoggle?" Sarah kept her voice low and soft, not wanting to scare Hoggle anymore than he already was, but it still made him jump and look up in terror. "It's okay, Hoggle. It's just me."

"Oh, Sarah." he said with a great sigh of relief, his mouth turning up in a happy grin. It vanished when another angry shout rolled into the room, the voice unmistakably that of the Goblin King. "Jareth ain't happy right now; but I'm guessin' the whole realm knows that. He didn't scare ya, did he?"

Sarah nodded, a weak smile on her pale lips. "He did a little. Don't look so surprised at my admission, Hoggle. You aren't the only coward here; even a champion gets scared of things sometimes, and I am no exception. But we need never admit so much to anyone but each other."

Hoggle smiled suddenly, glad that he was not alone in being a coward.

"I hears ya had a time last night." he didn't mean to say the words, they just slipped out. He thought Sarah would be angry or at least a little upset at having the subject brought up, and was much surprised at her composed attitude. "Ya doin' alright?"

She nodded, and Hoggle took note of how tired she looked. Her face was pale and a little drawn, and her eyes, though still glowing with their inner light, had a lackluster about them that made Hoggle feel concerned. "It is just going to take time, that is all. I guess one doesn't get over having their whole life ruined in one day, no matter how much one might wish it. But dad and I made a good start of things today."

He stood up on a little stool and slipped his hand in hers. "Jareth said somethin' about him goin' back to the Aboveground tonight. Ya goin' ta be ok with that? If ya ain't ready fer it he can stay here fer as long as ya wants; there ain't no limit on how long a mortal can stay in the Labyrinth, so long as he ain't runnin' it of course." Hoggle said helpfully, wanting her to understand without a shadow of a doubt that there was no need to rush things. But she seemed to understand that already.

"In some ways I want him to stay very much, but in others I think it is best if he goes. Being crammed together is as bad as being permanently separated; if there is space for us to both live our lives and deal with things in our own time I know everything will work out perfectly." Sarah's head shot up when Jareth's shouting voice came rolling up on them again. She fully expected him to make an appearance, to blow in like a storm, but there was only an uneasy silence after the echo had died down. "What has him so upset?" there was a light tremor in her voice. Though it was silly she hoped that she wasn't the cause of his current upset.

Hoggle wished she hadn't asked that question, wished she would have asked just about any other question in the world than that one. Being her friend he wanted to tell her anything she wanted to hear about, but he didn't want to get into trouble by speaking on a matter that was no doubt best left to Jareth; besides, Jareth knew more about it than he did, he could tell her things that Hoggle couldn't.

But Hoggle didn't know if Jareth would tell Sarah anything about it, even if she were to ask. Hoggle didn't want her to be left hanging, wondering what was going on with no answers, so he decided to tell her as much as was possible.

"I tell ya what I can, then, if ya want more, ya will just have ta talk ta Jareth." he leaned forward, keeping his voice low so that only she could hear. "But ya will have ta promise not ta tell him ya heard it from me. He don't like ta talk about this, and he don't like ta hear others talk about it, and if he finds out that I was the one who let it slip ta ya-"

Sarah made a zipper motion across her lips. "I just heard this here and there. Goblins talk a lot, they say things. I can't say who they were; all goblins look the same to me."

Hoggle looked around the room, turning his head back and forth cautiously; he didn't want anyone to overhear him. Goblins couldn't keep their mouths shut most of the time, and if it got out that he had spoken about this forbidden subject then he was likely to suffer some terrible consequences that he didn't even want to think about.

"Ok, this is all I knows. Ya haven't heard the name Giric spoken around here, have ya?" Sarah shook her head. "Well, ye ain't heard the name because no one is allowed to talk about it. But we all do from time to time, but only when we is sure Jareth won't hear. I'm not sure of the whole history between them, but I do know that Giric is Jareth's first cousin, and they had some sort of a fallin' out over somethin' or other not long before Jareth inherited the throne. Anyway, he is in a fit now because of something ta do with Giric, seems that he returned from the Unknown, that's what the uncharted places in the Underground are called, and Jareth is all in a rage about it. He is giving the guards a dressin' down they'll never forget for letting Giric get past them in the night."

Though she couldn't see why she found herself astonished that Jareth had a cousin. She supposed it shouldn't have been a surprise, she had cousins of her own, but somehow she had the hardest time picturing Jareth as having any kind of family at all. "Who or what is Giric? I mean, being Jareth's cousin he must be royalty of some kind, right?"

Hoggle rubbed his chin. "Now ain't that the question I was just askin' myself! He wasn't meant ta be king, second son of the then living Shadow King I think, but now that that kingdom is gone, along with his whole family, I have no idea what he is. A king without a kingdom, I guess ya could say, sorta like Rosalinda. A queen without a land ta rule."

"What?" Sarah cocked her head in surprise, wondering if she had heard correctly what Hoggle had said. It was the first time she had heard anything about Rosalinda being royalty.

"Yeah, sure-" Hoggle stopped short, realization dawning on him. "Ya mean, they ain't told ya yet?" Sarah shook her head. Hoggle sighed in disgust and rolled his eyes. "Well, ya was bound ta find out sometime, though I can't imagine what they would be keepin' it a secret fer. It ain't like she is in hidin', the whole Underground knows who she is and where she is!"

Sarah couldn't imagine why Jareth, or Rosalinda for that matter, would want to keep it hidden from her either. If it wasn't a secret then why was she the only one who knew nothing about it? From Rosalinda's point of view she could understand a little about why she would hesitate to bring the subject up, having lost one's kingdom and family to a demon wasn't exactly something that one would like to talk about. But Jareth? His motive was unclear. She felt an irritation that he had kept something from her and planned to have a talk with him in the very near future about it.

But for the moment she let it slide. Her curiosity about Jareth's cousin was piqued, and she wanted to hear more about their little falling out, so urged Hoggle to go on with it. He seemed hesitant to say more, as if afraid of revealing too much on a private matter that was none of his business, and tried to end the conversation before it could get going again.

"Ah, ha..." he shrugged, an attempted smile just tugged at the corners of his mouth before he gave up trying to make it spread across his face. He so didn't want to tell her more, he was breaking the rules just by mentioning Giric's name and going on with the story had great potential to get him in even deeper trouble. "Ya ain't needed anywhere right now? Yer Dad ain't waiting fer ya?"

She shook her head, determined to get as much of the story out of him as he was determined to sidetrack it. "That doctor Jibber is doing a final checkup on him. I'm free for a little while, so don't worry about that. I might as well brush up on my Underground History while I have nothing else to do."

"Where was I?" his voice was a low screech, much like a rusty hinge that hadn't been oiled in decades.

"Giric being a king without a kingdom was where you stopped at." Sarah prompted, picking at a strand of dark hair that lay over her shoulder.

Hoggle sighed, and chose his words carefully. "There ain't much more I can tell ya, just a little bit. Jareth, Giric and Rosalinda was all raised together, an' then Jareth an' he had a fallin' out, like I said before, and Giric left the Fae Realms ta go an' seek his fortune or destiny out in the Unknown. Funny how things work out, but his leaving meant he didn't die when the Shadow Kingdom fell."

Sarah asked him what Jareth and Giric had a falling out over, but Hoggle didn't know. The details were a little sketchy and no one really knew more than what he had just told her. Sarah knew, however, that she wouldn't be satisfied with just part of the story; she wanted to know more and hoped that sooner or later Jareth would tell her.

JSJSJS

The sun was sinking lower in the sky all the time, and the cold was quickly growing more pronounced. Rosalinda, though she tried to think the better of it, constantly found herself feeling concern for the dark Shadow King who brought up the rear of their little trio, wondering all the time if he were warm enough in those furs that were on his back. He had said nothing about it and for a time she assumed the cold didn't bother him, but the longer they were out there the more she was sure he must be feeling some sort of discomfort.

Ahead of her the Princess Penelope continued to lead the way, guiding them through a series of paths that only she seemed to know. Rosalinda didn't know what to make of the small lady; she was a confidant one, sure of where she was going and what she was doing, though she wasn't haughty with it. In every step, in every move she showed great pride, no doubt because of her royal status, but it wasn't anything like the hubris that her sister dripped with.

"I feel you are concerned." Giric said from behind, breaking the silence for the first time since they had entered the woods. Rosalinda shrugged, trying to put a blanket on her emotions. Among his many gifts and talents Giric was an empath and a telepath, the last of which was a very rare thing among fae, and though he couldn't read her mind unless in physical contact he could still tell what she was feeling though they weren't touching. He had once described her feelings as coming to him on a breeze; they were soothing and gentle, he had told her when they were children. "Is it something to do with where we are going?"

"I was just wondering if you are warm enough in those shabby things." she said plainly, know he would be able to tell if she were lying. She grabbed two handfuls of the heavy cloak and leaped high into the air to jump over a very large tree that blocked their path. She landed beside Penelope, who waited on the other side for Giric and wouldn't let Rosalinda go on until he had joined them. Though it hadn't been used as such for a long time she could just see the signs that the path they were on had once been a wide road that had been flanked on both sides by stone statues and walls. She had been very young when Clarissa's father had died, after which time the place was abandoned, so had never spent any time in the former seat of power of the High Monarchs. "But since you brought it up, would you mind telling me where we are headed?"

Giric looked at Penelope, who nodded. Rosalinda got the feeling he did whatever the princess told him to. _What kind of hold has she on him to make him an underling? Or is he an underling at all? He is a devious one, what if he is the real power here? I just don't know enough to hazard a guess as to what is going on._

"As I said before, this is the abandoned ancestral home of the High Monarchs." he placed a hand on the small of her back and propelled her forward again. "At the center of these woods is the old castle in which all of the High Monarchs ruled from over the years. It is there that we are headed. I should warn you that we will be there until the moon rises, for what we are going to show you can only be seen in the moonlight, and that is also when the dangers come out in full force."

Rosalinda instinctively felt for the dagger on her belt to make sure it was still there, and was surprised to find herself grateful to Giric for returning it to her. Doing her best to keep the uneasiness out of her voice, though she knew it would do no good to cover it up with the likes of Giric there, she asked the first question on her mind. "Just what kind of dangers are you talking about? The Underground is full of all sorts of dangers, no doubt more than we actually know about, and giving me an idea of the situation would be very helpful."

"Clarissa has a thing for using demons to do her dirty work, and a way of controlling them that is truly remarkable, but I suppose that comes with being a practitioner of black magic; one learns to use things to their advantage in sometimes the most cunning and cruel of ways. She wanted anyone who came here to either be scared away permanently or never return again, and made this place a home to all sorts of the foul creatures. This time of the year is when the Snow Demons are most dangerous, they seem to feed off the cold. Not that you need worry too much, not with the skill you showed in handling that dagger. Where did you learn that anyway? When last I saw you you had hardly any idea of how to hold a dagger, let alone use one properly."

A low hanging branch partly blocked the path ahead. Penelope had no trouble going under it, she was barely five feet tall and didn't even have to duck her head, but for Rosalinda it was a different story. She had just resolved upon bending as far down as needed to get past when Giric appeared suddenly at her side and lifted the branch as far up as it would go without breaking it off. She acknowledged his act with a stiff nod and went under it.

"It was Jareth who taught me." she said, waiting by the massive tree for him to join her. He carefully let the limb down until it rested in its original position, and then made his way to stand in front of her. Rosalinda noticed that the path they had just trod over was clear of any and all tracks; Giric obviously didn't want there to be any trace of their ever having been there. "You know by now that I am one of the most hated and feared ladies in the Underground, being accused of using black magic is enough to condemn me to permanent suspicion, and as such my life is in constant danger. Jareth didn't want me to come to harm should I ever need to leave the sanctuary of the Labyrinth, and so saw fit to train me in the ways he had been trained."

Giric's smile gave away the pride he felt at her being a skilled fighter. She had never liked the idea of having to use anything along the lines of force and had resisted learning the ways of a fighter her whole life, but her sudden change in circumstances had obviously changed her views on defense and offense, something that he was very glad of. Pacifism was a noble thing, but most of the time it was better to use a weapon.

That was his opinion, anyway.

"And how is my dear cousin doing these days? I have been back in this part of the Underground for quite a few centuries now, though such is not common knowledge, but getting first hand news of those closest to me is something I had lived without all this time."

"Closest?" Rosalinda scoffed, cheeks turning even more red than they had been and eyes flashing with rage. "I would hardly call your relationship with him or I close, not after that idiotic stunt you pulled on him! But, since you asked, your cousin is quite well and he wears the office of king as well as his father before him did. I dare say it is a pity you haven't been around to see him become a ruler he is now, you might have learned something."

Slowly he took a deep breath and let it out again, watched as it froze into a white cloud and floated quickly away into the woods. Her anger, directed at him, was painful in the extreme, like an icy blade, so cold it burned, pressing into his mind and on every nerve ending in his body. It was distracting, most dreadfully so, and the amount of concentration that went into blocking just some of it out was draining. So much of his strength was going into keeping himself warm, putting up a shield to deflect some of her painful anger away from himself was an added drain and something he couldn't keep up forever. He had to make it stop, even if was only for a little while.

A light cough came from his right and he glanced over at Penelope, who stood waiting for them at a bend in the path. He held up his hand, indicating she should give him a moment alone with Rosalinda. She looked up at the sky then back at him in an unspoken indication of the time, nodded once and then retreated out of sight, leaving not so much a mark in the snow to show she had been there.

"Rosalinda, we can't go on like this, with you purposefully directing your anger at me to cause pain. I know it is well deserved on my part, but now is not the time or place for you to take your hatred out on me." he paused a few seconds. "Can I call a truce, for the time being?"

"There is only one thing that will make my anger towards you less." she said coolly, ice blue eyes narrowing to mere slits. "And I don't think you have it in you to say what I want to hear."

"But supposing I do?" he challenged, much to her surprise. "I know what you want to hear, I can say the words. Whether you believe me or not is quite up to you. All I want is for you to give me a chance. Will you?" Rosalinda didn't say yes or no, but he took the resigned set of her face as an affirmation. He took a breath, then began. "Having been gone so long gave me a great deal of time to reflect on past deeds, in particular the time I challenged Jareth to that duel. Believe me or no, whatever you will, I do very much regret what I did."

She bowed her head for an moment to hide the mist that had gathered in her eyes at the mention of the duel that had nearly resulted in the death of the man she loved. "This is quite a surprise; I never thought I would hear you say such a thing, nor did I think I could believe you if you had." she mumbled.

"Nor did I think I would ever say I regretted anything." Giric propped his arm up against the tree trunk above her head and leaned on it. Rosalinda took a step back and came up against the tree, never taking her eyes off of Giric. He meant her no harm, that she knew, but being so close was unnerving. "But being alone for centuries puts things into perspective, and I came to realize just what was lost when I acted so foolishly."

"And what was that?" she asked, hoping that perhaps he had gained some wisdom in his years in the Unknown of the Underground. Part of her laughed at the idea that he could ever change from the headstrong and rash boy she had grown up along side, but still she was hopeful. "If your conclusions are anything like mine about what was lost then I might consider withdrawing some of my anger."

For such a long time he had wanted to have this very conversation with Rosalinda, to show that he had changed, and that he had been in the wrong and could admit to it, but now that it had come he felt a painful blow being dealt to his pride. He had thought that his pride had diminished somewhat over the years, but at that moment he knew that it was still with him and wouldn't be going away any time soon.

_Pride, it does indeed run in the family!_ he thought ruefully, wishing he could just shed it from himself like an unwanted garment. But such a thing was not possible, it was a part of him and the only thing he could do was deal with it at each turn, and try not to let it get in the way and rule his head again.

"Things were lost on all sides." the words were forced, but he was determined to get them out and hopefully restore some of Rosalinda's past esteem for himself, or at least make her hate him just a little less. "My actions betrayed a deep trust between our three families, nearly wiped out thousands of years worth of loyalty."

"Yes, and?" she prompted, hoping he could keep on with the list of things she was waiting to hear come from his lips. "You are doing good so far."

He took a long look at her, comparing her to the image he had carried in his mind. Her face, framed by the dark grey fur of his cloak, was luminous and perfect, and her eyes seemed to shine even brighter than he had ever seen. She was every bit as lovely as he remembered, if not more so. "I lost you." his voice was strained, barely audible, but she heard it and felt an overwhelming sense of disappointment well up inside.

"You never had me, if you remember. For an instant I thought you had learned something, Giric. You were so close-" she shook her head sadly and started to move away, but stayed her steps when he hurriedly spoke again.

"I never had your love, but I did have your friendship." the disappointment stopped building and receded as he went on. He had learned something after all. "That was something I would have always had, it went without saying, but I was too stupid to realize it. I ruined the one thing that held you, Jareth and I together. What is it Jareth was always saying, how you should never take things for granted?"

Rosalinda nodded, surprised that her icy anger towards him had melted somewhat; she hadn't expected it to do so. "That is right, though he normally applied it to the Labyrinth. Truth is you should never take anything for granted, no matter where you are."

"So wise, no wonder Jareth and I were in love with you." he smiled sadly, shaking his head. A strand of black hair fell over his forehead and into his eyes. "But I did, I took too much for granted, and I ruined nearly everything; trusts, loyalties and friendships, all nearly wiped away, and all because I couldn't accept that you wanted Jareth over me. Truth be told I still have a hard time accepting it, it still pains me, but at least I am able to now. He has you, and the best I can hope to have is some sort of forgiveness from you for what I did."

Without another word he pulled away and stepped back onto the path and waited until Rosalinda had gone on ahead of him before moving forward. The painful iciness that had burned his mind earlier had subsided into a mere ache, and he knew he had gotten what he wanted for the time being. But he wondered at the strange look that came into her eyes when he had said that Jareth had her, a look that seemed to say to him that things were not so simple as that. Didn't Jareth love her anymore?


	37. Chapter 37

_I hear your demands, oh wonderful readers, and I deliver the long awaited chapter:)_

_Some of you were wondering what the source of animosity between Clarissa, Jareth and Rosalinda was, and I hope this will clear things up a bit. _

_Review, and thanks so much the reading!_

* * *

In all his years of being the Goblin King never once had Jareth had any reason to speak to Clarissa unless they happened to be in the same room at the same time. If anything had to be said then it was said at one of their rare meetings, or mentioned in the few letters that passed between them, but never had she called on him or he on her.

_All good things must end, I suppose__, _Jareth thought as he looked at the image of Clarissa that hovered in one of his crystal conference orbs. She had requested an audience with him that evening, saying she wanted to know how his preparations for the trial were going, and he had been obliged to join her as he was unable to come up with an excuse not to. _Besides, it will give me a chance to ask a few questions and hopefully help a friend. _

"I don't know how you managed it, Jareth, but since it is done there is nothing I can do but comply." Clarissa said, looking as if she were walking on thin air and not moving at all, fingers tapping her very pointy chin. "It has been a long time since any one king, or queen, has gotten all the others lined up behind them in agreement. For though everyone is loyal to me, getting them all to fall in behind me for anything is something I haven't managed to do in all my thousand years of being queen. For you to do so speaks volumes. You really don't want this trial to last longer than it has too, do you?"

Jareth lowered his eyes. "Do I detect a hint of disgust in your tone, Majesty? But then, I forget how fond of law and politics you are; they were always your forte, the one thing that ever gave you any joy I sometimes thought. But here you stand alone; no one else really likes those two subjects, and I was able to play on that for my own means."

Clarissa stopped walking and cast him an angry glare, though somehow he got the feeling there was nothing behind it other than mere annoyance. "That is hardly ethical, Jareth. We are here to give out punishment and justice, not pick sides and treat the whole process as nothing more than a game!"

There was a stiffness in Jareth's back and neck that made him want to flop back in his chair in his customary slouching manner, one leg over an arm. And a chair sat close enough for him to do so without any hesitation, but he couldn't do it. With so much worry weighing on his mind he was sure that letting down his stiff demeanor would crush him completely.

"Somehow I get the feeling that his process is but a game, Clarissa, a game of power and seeing who will win the day, and it is being played because you wanted it that way." he turned on her, eyes flashing with irritation and anger. "Your father put the Order of Oblivion on the demon before he was assassinated, and it has stood until you decided you wanted to bring it to trial because you wanted all parties to get justice. Well, you said how the game was to be played, and I am merely following your lead."

Clarissa moved closer until only her eyes were showing in the orb. Jareth noticed the green markings on the skin around the eyes, and wondered if she wore makeup to enhance them. "You had better hope that the way you are handling this doesn't come back with serious repercussions!" she ground the words out in a threatening voice, and then quickly withdrew a good distance away. When she spoke again all traces of her anger were gone. "I guess I should congratulate you on what you have done; you are a shrewd one, the most cunning king I have ever known, and I have known a few. Even my own father was not a crafty as you have proven yourself to be."

Jareth didn't acknowledge her compliment, knowing it was given in a very bad grace. A little voice in his head told him he should be ashamed of what he had done in getting the other six monarchs to rally behind him, to name him as their representative in the trial and accept any justice given to him as justice for them all. But he didn't feel anything like shame; what he did might be an old trick, rarely used in modern days, but reading up on it he discovered that though it wasn't done often, and wasn't always looked well on, it wasn't illegal. Besides, he had promised Sarah he would make sure that the demon wasn't set free, and this was as good a way as any to make sure his word was kept.

"What he didn't have in craft he made up for in wisdom, Clarissa." _and I wish you were more like him!_ Jareth didn't dare speak the words. It was a shame that Clarissa wasn't the cool headed, collected and charismatic monarch her father had been; that, in addition to her obvious cunning and determination, would have made her a truly great ruler. But it was not so; though everyone was loyal to her as was expected, no one really liked her personally. "He would have thought things through before acting so rashly, as you have been know to do on more than a few occasions."

Clarissa jerked her golden haired head up, knowing right away of what he spoke, and her shoulders tensed. "This is a subject we have been on many times. Jareth, and I don't see the point of going on it again." she looked at him, the upset look on her face telling just a little of what she was feeling. "I will maintain, until proven otherwise, my belief that Rosalinda is guilty of helping to bring down her father. I did what was right when I put a Death Order on her head."

Jareth growled, and the markings around his mismatched eyes grew several shades darker. "You didn't even try to find out if she was guilty or innocent. Your father would have looked into it himself before declaring her a practitioner of black magic."

"But, as you implied with your earlier words, I'm not my father." she let slip a sly smile, and Jareth felt his skin crawl. "This is my reign now, Goblin King, and I rule as I see fit. In The Fallen One's case I preferred not to take a chance; black magic users are to be dealt instant death because such magic is a danger to our society. Knowing the history of the Underground, of how some of the first rulers used black magic to keep control of the common folk and how it always ended up in disaster, I chose to have her done away with to avoid any chance of a possible threat.

"If you want my opinion, you are the one who acted unwisely in seeking her out and giving her sanctuary. You not only put yourself in danger but also disobeyed my orders, neither of which are things that a truly wise man, or king, would do." her scolding tone got under his skin more easily than a sharp blade, and he knew that if they had been in the same room he would have deal her a good slap across the face. He had never hit a woman before, but in her case he was more than willing to make an exception. "And then you extended that sanctuary outside of you kingdom so that she could harness her powers as a Healer, putting even more lives in potential jeopardy."

Jareth's temper flared up like a pile of paper that someone had set a match to, and his normally pale face took on a heavy shade of red that wasn't at all becoming to his striking features. "Just let me ask you this, Clarissa!" he somehow managed to keep his voice down to a low bark. "If she is guilty then why hasn't she done anything to suggest she is contaminated by black magic in all these years? You deem her so dangerous, so deserving of death, and yet with all her alleged powers she hasn't so much as tried to use them! And believe me she has had many chances to try; I see her frequently, and never once has she tried to do the obvious thing of killing me and taking the kingdom as her own-"

"She never needed to kill you, not when she had your heart in the palm of her hand!" she screamed back at him. "You loved her so much you were blinded by it, couldn't see that she was manipulating you at every turn while hiding behind her so-called graces and virtues!"

"Shut up, Clarissa!" now Jareth shouted, rage boiling inside of him like molten lava. Amazingly she did do as he said and shut her rosebud mouth so tightly the corners puckered. "If you say one more thing against Rosalinda I swear you will regret it! You hate her, you always hated her because she was your rival, and she won the fight even before it began. If you want my opinion now, I think that you put a Death Order on her head because of your dislike for her, and you hate me now because I got to her first and made her beyond your reach! Am I right, Clarissa?" he leaned in again, nose just touching the orb and hair falling into his eyes, making him look truly savage. "Am I right?"

Her silence was answer enough of an affirmation for him. He had suspected as much for quite some time, but never had gone so far as to accuse Clarissa to her face, but at last she had provoked him into speaking unguardedly. He also suspected that there was some anger directed at him for the time he had flatly refused to even consider Clarissa as a potential wife; it would have made a very powerful alliance, and his family had urged him to think carefully about it, but he had crushed the idea almost as soon as it had been laid at his feet.

"I want someone with a heart in their chest," he had said to his father, the chief person who pressed for the marriage. "From what I have seen she has none, and I doubt that time will make her grow one."

In retrospect he was sure that was where the source of her true hatred of him came from, the fact that he had turned down the proposal, and had then acted very hastily in turning to Rosalinda immediately afterwards, adding insult to injury. Nothing could have said his true feelings on the subject more clearly than that act. Her chances for the most powerful alliance in the Underground were gone in an instant, so it was no wonder she hated him.

Clarissa was thinking of the same thing at that moment, and she turned stiffly away, the sight of him being more than she could stand. He could see her fingernails digging into the flesh of her right bicep, making dark red marks spread along the skin until it reached her elbow, and knew she would have bruises within a very short time. _Be sure to wear long sleeves, Majesty; we don't want the public to ask questions! Keep up appearances!_ he thought with a scowl, wishing he could do the exact opposite and declare to the whole Underground just how much they loathed each other.

"Have you anything else to say, Goblin King, or is this offensive interview at an end?" she asked, shoulders sagging as if greatly fatigued. Jareth noticed that her eyes had suddenly gone dark, though he was thinking it had more to do with her being upset with him than from weariness.

"Yes, now that you mention it. One last thing before we call it quits for the day." he said, putting on his typical proud and snobbish demeanor. Swiftly he stood up straight and tossed his hair back, an act at hiding his own fatigue from her; he had reordered time in the Aboveground, prepared for a trial he was not looking forward to, argued with monarchs, worried constantly about Sarah and her father, and had the worries of where Rosalinda was and why a demon would steal a pendant on top of it all. He was worn to the bone, so tired he couldn't figure out how he kept going, but he wouldn't show that to Clarissa. She would ask questions, and he wasn't eager to answer them. "I have an urgent need to speak with the demon on a certain matter, one which I must add is very private. Might I get an audience?"

Clarissa shifted her shoulders ever so slightly, an action that was not lost on Jareth, and her speech was suddenly very tight and controlled, and the icy edge was gone. "I don't think you talking to him would do any good; ever since coming here he has flatly refused to speak to anyone, and I doubt that even using extreme methods could make him say anything. Just what did you want to talk to the demon about, if I may be allowed to ask."

Jareth looked out the window, amazed that the darkness of night was already falling over the land, while he thought back to his little conversation with Lucinda. She had asked him not to reveal to anyone that her family's royal pendant was missing, and her reasons for it were painfully obvious, but still he had promised to look into it. And this was the perfect opportunity to do some digging.

"Are you quite alone, Clarissa?" he asked, turning back to face the orb. She cocked her head to the side, curious about what he could have to say that needed such secrecy.

"Quite." she said confidently.

"The demon is assumed to have stolen a royal pendant." he said, deciding to be as vague on details as was possible. "I will not say from whom, the person prefers to remain unknown for obvious reasons. But there is some evidence to suggest that while plundering a kingdom the sacred item was stolen, and the person in question would like to know what became of it."

Clarissa's face turned a whiter shade of pale for an instant in what Jareth took to be concern. "That is a matter for great secrecy, knowing how important the pendants are to us all and how they are irreplaceable, though I really doubt the demon would have anything to do with it; any pendant is completely worthless to anyone who is not Fae. However, I will see what can be learned, and when you arrive for the trial I should have answers. Until then, Goblin King."

"High Queen." he bowed his head, and then laid his hand over the orb, making the light within fade along with Clarissa's image. Slowly he flexed his head from side to side, the bones in his neck cracked and popped with the motion, and then threw open the window to let in the fresh evening air. He could smell just a hint of rain, and sensed that it would come over the Labyrinth sometime that night.

Out along the horizon the clouds hung low. They were all a dull scarlet color that was occasionally shot though with burning reds and golds, as if on fire. He hoped Sarah was watching the show as the colors danced, shifted and faded as the sun sank low; she was in need of some beauty to lift her spirits after a long and hard day.

Leaning both hands on the stone window frame he wondered briefly where Sarah had gotten herself to and what she had done for the day. He hadn't checked on her since his first conference of the day, though many times he had wanted too; things had just gotten in the way, throwing unexpected and worrisome blocks in his path. The most worrisome of which was Rosalinda; she hadn't returned yet, and his sending out of search parties hadn't revealed where she was, confirming that she was indeed out of his realm and beyond his sight.

"Where have you gone? And why with Giric, knowing better than anyone what he tried to do to me because you were a witness?" he asked, wishing the air that now blew wisps of his hair against his cheeks would carry his voice to wherever she was hiding at. If she was hiding at all.

That same feeling of something being horribly wrong came back to him, creeping up his scalp like the icy fingers of a dead person, though he couldn't say from where it hailed. Not for the first time he wished it was possible to see what the future held, or at least be able to see the smallest hint so he could prepare for it. But Fate wouldn't give away its secrets, only on occasion it gave out the smallest signs that one could rarely understand before it was too late. Whatever was coming he knew he was part of it, so was Rosalinda and Sarah. They felt it too, though they were as clueless about their roles as he was.

The clock chimed; it was nine in the evening, time to return Jake to the Aboveground. Without bothering to close the window, Jareth walked slowly away from it and left the room. What he had anticipated all day had now arrived, and with it a strange sort of dread. Having had Jake around for so long he had grown to have a sort of affection for the man, and the prospect of having him gone made him feel like there was going to be a big blank spot in his life.

And he worried how Sarah would take it; she loved her father very much, and though he fully understood her reasons for wanting some space between them he feared it would be harder to take than she fully realized yet. But Sarah was a tough one, however much she had been knocked down and pushed around, and he knew she would get through it just so long as he was there for her to lean on once in a while.

JSJSJS

Klaus wasn't the kind to hurry. He was a man of deep thoughts and reflections, plots and schemes, not given to action, which was one of the things that had kept him in Clarissa's good graces for so long. She was, herself, a very cunning lady with a mind capable of forming the most complex ideas, but at times she grew impatient and was given to rash decisions. It was his voice, the one of caution that kept her from going too far and made her walk a straight and narrow path.

But, for the first time that century, he was in a great hurry, so much so that his wizards robes flew out behind him as he trotted long the halls of the High Court. Attendants, visiting diplomats and people of nobility all jumped aside as he ran by, each one in wonder at his flustered state. The sound of curious whispers followed him, but he paid them no heed. He had to find his queen, and quick.

Clarissa was, herself, in a hurry, and in as much need of her trusted wizard as he was of her. They nearly collided near her private apartments, and it was her quick reflexes that kept them from running headlong into each other. Her sudden sidestep and graceful turnabout didn't register in Klaus's mind until several seconds after, by which time he had managed to bring himself to a complete stop.

"My Lady!" he gasped, his pale face covered in a strange hue of pink that told Clarissa of his flustered state. One look and she knew he had been running, and if he were running it had to be important. But, she thought, that nothing could be more important than what she had to tell him. "There is something you should know-"

"It can wait!" she snapped, looking over her shoulder to make sure that no one was witnessing their little exchange. Thankfully the white marble halls were empty save for the two of them and several large, priceless paintings and works of art. But that didn't mean they wouldn't shortly be joined by someone, so she quickly shooed him into her room and locked the door. "You of all people should know better that to behave so out in the open! But I have not the time to speak on that matter, what I have to say is far more important and potentially dangerous."

Klaus forced himself to be quiet and give all his attention to the High Queen, though he doubted very much if what she had to say was anywhere near as important as the news he had for her. Calmly he tucked his long arms into the wide sleeves of his heavy wizard robes, though he did it more to hide his shaking hands than show respect or submission to the lady.

"Jareth is on a dangerous path, but whether or not he is aware of it I don't know. It seems that he is looking for a missing pendant." she whispered after a moment, eyes easily piercing the dark to watch the wizard's reaction to her words. His blank face changed in a split second, becoming at once so dumbfounded that it was almost comical, even to humorless Clarissa. "What have you to say about that?"

"My Lady," Klaus's mouth and throat were so dry it was painful to speak. "Jareth may well be closing in on _all _of the pendants at this very moment! Whilst you spoke with him I had a feeling, a strange feeling, and took some time away from trial preparations to see that all was well in the Dead Land-"

Anger radiated from Clarissa as she suddenly approached the wizard. Fear got the better of him and he took as step or two back before regaining control of himself. "I told you, fool, that under no circumstances were you to ever look into the Dead Land at this time of night! What if someone had come in while you gazed into your mirror and caught an eyeful of what is there? How could you explain it without ruining nearly a thousand years worth of work?"

"I acted foolishly, I admit that, but it was for the best!" he shivered as she glared at him. They were close to the same height and could easily stare into each others eyes, but she had a way of making him feel as if he were no more than knee height to a goblin. "What I came here to tell you was that there are trespassers there, in that very room of the castle, and one of them I instantly recognized as The Fallen One Rosalinda."

Clarissa was taken completely aback and looked as if someone had slapped her across the face. "Rosalinda? In my father's place?" she took a few shaky steps away from Klaus, mind trying to come to grips with it all. "How did she find out? More importantly, _when _did she find out? Do you have an answer for me, wizard?"

Klaus shook his head. "No, My Lady. But, her being there at the very time you were speaking to the Goblin King about a missing pendant seems to be too much for a mere coincidence. At any time during your brief visit did you get a sense that he knew more than he was letting on?"

"No, but that is nothing to go on. Those Labyrinth monarchs are known for their crafty, cunning and secretive ways. One should never take them for granted, a lesson I learned the hard way, so let us not do so here. We will assume nothing at this time, but keep our minds open to all possibilities until we get some answers." she turned sharply on her heel and strode over to her wardrobe. Quickly she yanked the sliding door open and pulled out a heavy cloak and heavy fur under coat, both of which she put on.

"And where do we get answers, Majesty?" Klaus asked innocently, though he had a terrible feeling that he knew the answer already.

"We are going to pay an unexpected visit on our trespassers!" she said, red lips turned up in a bone chilling grin. "Don't just stand there, Klaus! You are coming with me, so get your wraps on. It won't do any of us any good if you should freeze to death."

Unable to come up with something to deter the lady from going through with her sudden plan a slight pout formed on his face as he bowed and left the room. He wasn't keen on going to the Dead Land; he hated the cold and snow, and the fear of snow demons was something he had never been able to overcome for all he had been around them quite a bit over the years. But it was knowing what had happened there that gave him the horrendous feeling of someone running cold, dead fingers up his spine, and was one of the few things that made him wish he had never been in position to assist Clarissa in her plans.

* * *

_Yes, Clarissa is a woman scorned, and by Jareth of all people!_


	38. Chapter 38

_To all my readers I dedicate this chapter:) I beg forgiveness for taking so long, and for those of you who are wondering about the relationship between Jareth and Rosalinda this should make your minds start churning!_

_Thanks for all the kind reviews, as always!_

_Enjoy!_

* * *

Penelope's expression was one of great amusement mixed with pity as she watched Giric and Rosalinda argue. Ever since arriving at the old ruin of a castle, all during the process of lighting a fire in what had once been a private apartment, the two had been going at each other like angry children. The lady was in search of an apology for her treatment that day, of being kidnapped and made to walk through knee deep snow to the dismal abandoned place. But the man kept on saying that she had given him permission to bring her there, so there was no kidnapping and nothing to apologize for. The fight went round and round in circles, and they were no closer to resolving it than when it first started.

_Not that I can blame her for wanting to fight with him; his handling of the situation was far from what even I had expected. _Penelope's pretty mouth turned up in a grin as she tossed another piece of wood on the fire, thinking how if things kept up this way then the tempers would soon be running hot enough to keep them all warm. _But now is about the time for me to step in and give the poor fool a break. Much needs to be explained, and the time draws near for the moon to shine down on this side of the castle._

Rising from her kneeling position before the fire, she crossed over to Giric and laid a hand on the back of his neck. He jerked at the feel of her cold skin on his, and glowered at her. _"What is it, Penelope?" _his mind barked to hers, his annoyance at being interrupted during an argument plainly felt by her.

"_You have wasted enough time fighting with her, now is time for me to explain what she is here for."_ her minds voice was soothing, but held a no nonsense tone about it that was meant to make Giric step down and let her take over the situation. But he remained stubborn, wanting to finish the fight instead of leaving it hanging. She gave him a smack upside the head and promptly scolded him. _"Giric! Stop being such a stubborn idiot! Remember who is in charge here, and let me do what I must."_

Growling under his breath he turned to Rosalinda, who sat there with a look of satisfaction on her face; she had had the last word before Penelope had intervened. "The princess wishes to speak with you." he ground out in a rough voice.

"But don't think this is the end of our dispute! You will apologize for abducting me sooner or later!" she threw back her head in a aggravatingly proud manner, and shifted herself to face the princess. "Forgive us our hostility, Your Highness. But, as you can tell there is quite a bit of anger between us, the least of which is not limited to what he did today!"

Penelope smiled as she knelt down on the floor. She held out her hand to Rosalinda, who took it quietly, and then her other to Giric. When he didn't take it she gave him an elbow in his side, drawing from him a grunt of pain. He glared at amber eyed princess, who merely gave him a look that said 'take my hand or else!', which he did with a scowl.

"Penelope is unable to speak, as I told you before, due to Clarissa injecting her with some sort of silencing potion," Giric said in a straight and short voice, hoping to avoid any further misunderstandings and fights. He reminded himself of the importance of this meeting, and forced his pride back once more. "but her mind is untouched. I will act as conduit between you, what you say will be heard by me, but I will not read your minds beyond that."

Hands all joined, forming a circle, Giric established a telepathic link between all of them. Rosalinda hated the idea of joining in the link with him, even with his promise that he wouldn't read her mind, but she forced her dislike down and focused on the moment.

"_Majesty," _Penelope's voice echoed through Rosalinda's mind. It was strange to her to hear the princess's mental voice, and she wondered if it were anything like her real one. _"Your anger at how you were treated today shouldn't be directed at Giric alone, I do share part of the blame. I hereby apologize for the manner in which you were brought here; it wasn't at all how a Queen should be treated. His tactics, while being effective, are not always considerate. But I told him to get you here as soon as possible, and he did so the fastest way he could see. I regret it was not done in a more genteel fashion."_

"_Apology accepted, Princess. At least you were kind enough to offer one!" _she glared at Giric, but he kept his eyes closed and focused on maintaining the link. His long lashes made dark crescents against his pale skin. _"But, that aside, I would very much like to know why I have been brought here. Giric mentioned something about Clarissa using the demon to steal the royal pendants, though he neglected to say why."_

"_You are well aware of what a royal pendant is for, what one means to each monarch." _Penelope began without preamble. A shiver ran up her spine as it fully dawned that she was now taking the first steps in her plot to put an end to her sister. She hoped it ended something like she planned, though there was no guarantee that everything would go down as she hoped.

Rosalinda nodded in response to Penelope, images of her own pendant coming to her mind. It was, without question, the most important thing she had, more important than her own life in many ways.

"_The Pendant of the Mist, our most treasured possession, my child. It is that which gives us the power over our realm, that which makes a monarch one with the land. One drop of blood from the first of our family to rule was added to the molten metal as it was cast, and then the proper spells and potions were used. It is the same with all pendants, each one made for a monarch to give him power over his realm. This is as precious as your own life, and whatever may happen in your life or your descendants lives it must be protected above all else." _

She could remember her father telling her those words so clearly it could have been yesterday. It was her first lesson on what it was to be a monarch, and she had never forgotten. Slowly her eyes opened and the vivid memory faded into the back of her mind.

"_Clarissa plans to mold all the pendants together into a single piece. Recast them, wipe out the original blood and add her own_. _She hasn't done anything to them yet, the realms still belong to their rightful rulers, but it won't be long now before she goes through with her plans." _Penelope paused, and Rosalinda took the chance to ask a question.

"_How long have you known about her plans? You must have known for quite sometime-"_

"_I know where you are going with this, and please don't accuse me of not acting once in all this time since realizing the truth; I have done my fair share of plotting against my sister, though I have done so with the utmost caution so that no one could suspect me." _she looked over at Giric. _"And part of my plotting was in saving his pendant before Clarissa could get her hands on it._

"_But yes, I have known for quite a while, though this is the first chance I have seen to expose my sister for what she really is. You see, Rosalinda, this trial is the perfect opportunity to bring all of what she has done out in the open; a gathering of all the monarchs has never been done since Clarissa was put on the throne, but this trial will bring all of them together. Only no one knows that it will be the High Queen in the accused position, and the demon merely her accomplice."_

Rosalinda's temper flared up and she glared at Giric. "You kidnapped me just to tell me this?! Writing a letter would have been much more convenient for us all, and saved us a great deal of time-"

"Really, Rosalinda!" said Giric, exasperated and completely fed up with their fight. He didn't care if he won or lost. "You can be so obtuse when the mood strikes you! Ok, I'm sorry for kidnapping you! There, I said it, and I would say it again if it would just make you hold your tongue long enough for Penelope to finish having her say!"

Her mouth fell open in shock, but then snapped shut again before any words could come flying out. She knew she was in the wrong for being so proud and wanting to fight, but couldn't forgive the way she had been treated during the course of the day. But in view of the larger picture her treatment wasn't that important, so she backed down. "I'm sorry." she said quietly. "Please, go on Penelope."

"_Until now Clarissa could do nothing without finding out what had happened to the last three pendants, to yours, Jareth's, and Giric's, and without the demon she was left in the dark. Jareth, as you know, never told anyone what had become of the demon, merely that he wouldn't trouble anyone again. With his return to the Underground she gained his knowledge, and it won't be long before she decides to hunt out Giric to find out if by some chance his pendant had somehow survived."_

The feeling of foreboding she had experienced the other night suddenly made sense to Rosalinda. There was indeed something very wrong in the Underground, and it wasn't what she had thought it would be. _We are running out of time, and quickly. If she finds Giric, and no doubt she will before too long, then there will be nothing stopping her from going against Jareth, and consequently me, to get our pendants. _

"_And why am I here, exactly?" _she asked, still not seeing what she had to do with any of it.

"There are several reasons, but as a witness is first. You have been told many things, but being told something, and seeing it for yourself, are two very different things."Giric suddenly pulled his hands away from both of the ladies and rose to his feet. He looked up at the massive domed ceiling over their heads, and Rosalinda followed his gaze. Up in the highest point of the ceiling, where the dome came to a point, a ghostly blue light was forming and spreading down the five curved support struts.

"What is that?" she asked, getting to her feet along with Penelope, never taking her eyes from the spectacle before her. Whatever it was emitted a light humming sound, and it felt as if something sinister were building in the air around them.

"Moonlight." Giric answered, half smiling to himself when he realized that any and all animosity Rosalinda had held for him before had been wiped out of existence, for the moment at least. "There are things in here that Clarissa wanted no one to see, and she used her black arts to hide them from anyone who might find their way in here during the daylight. Only in the moonlight, shining down on this section of the castle, can we see what is really here. But I must warn you not to try to touch anything; Clarissa has set an unknown spell on everything, one that kills instantly, so my poor chronicler found out on the first night in this place."

The light had reached the walls of the circular room. Rosalinda had thought it would continue down in straight lines, but instead it spread out along the circumference of the room from left to right, then slowly worked its way down in a solid circle of light until it reached the floor, leaving a shimmering film over the walls that illuminated the whole room.

All around the room, where nothing had been seconds earlier, shelf after shelf of magic potions, books, scrolls and instruments came out of nowhere and into focus. Everything was perfectly organized, sorted and labeled, nothing out of place in any way. They all reeked of black magic, just looking at them gave Rosalinda the shivers.

But what caught Rosalinda's attention at once was a rack directly across the room from her, hanging from which were the very six royal pendants that had been the topic of their conversation only moments before.

"Ok, so now I'm a witness." she said, walking slowly past Giric, eyes trained on the things that bound a monarch to their land. "What is it you want me to do with what I know?"

"Take this." he held up his hand, palm turned up, and an orb of polished obsidian, shot through with vivid blue, appeared on it. Rosalinda reached out and took the object, which was light as a feather. "Ever since finding out what Clarissa has been up to Penelope has been writing her own Chronicles, and I have added my own contributions, and now is the time to bring it forward. After your trial you will be exonerated, and then you will show this to the court. As a reliable witness, and with Jareth behind you no one will question you. All questions will be directed at Clarissa."

"But this is just a case, and I am just a witness. What of evidence? Something this important will need more than Chronicles."

Giric opened his mouth to say something, but a strange look came over his face that kept her silent. Eyes flickering, he turned his head sharply to the side as if to listen to something. Instantly alert Rosalinda stilled her breathing and strained her ears to pick up any and all sounds around them, but there was nothing beyond the normal sounds that the three of them made.

"Time for both of you to leave." he said calmly, turning back to look at the two women. Rosalinda knew without having to hear what he was going to say, though she had to wonder at his complete lack of concern. "Clarissa and her wizard are both here, and here for us. Have no fear, Rosalinda, we have our own plans for getting that very evidence."

JSJSJS

_'Don't go wandering about the castle when I am not here.'_ Jareth had told Sarah before leaving to take her father back to the Aboveground. She would have listened to him, and did try for a whole ten minutes to sit in her room and relax, but she couldn't bear to be still. She had to move, and so she did.

Up and down the halls she wandered, feet randomly taking her where they would. It was funny, from the outside the castle was quite large, but somehow it seemed that the inside was too big to be enclosed within its walls. There were clocks everywhere, she was never without a reminder of how long she had been walking, and if the timepieces were reliable then it had been nearly an hour.

_An hour and still I'm finding all kinds of new places! _she thought, taking a random turn that went directly to a staircase heading down. She didn't even know what floor she was on, or which side of the castle she was in, but strangely she didn't care; so long as she kept walking the lonely feeling that came with knowing her father wasn't in the same world as she was wouldn't catch up with her.

The stairs looked as if they went in a straight line, but as Sarah went along she noticed that they actually were very curved, as was the wall they were up against; she was going down a stairwell, and a big one at that. And what was worse they didn't seem to have an end; each step she took added three more, or so it seemed, and the more quickly she moved the slower she went.

Out of breath, a trickle of sweat running down her back, she stopped to rest and assess the situation. Looking back the way she had come there were only stairs, looking forward there were only stairs, and peering over the fancy banister she found herself looking down a bottomless stairwell that ended only in darkness. The view made her dizzy and she stepped away from it until she felt the cool wall pressing against her back.

"I should have gone fairy hunting with Hoggle!" she sighed, wiping the back of her hand against her forehead. The dwarf had found her after Jareth had left with her father, and he asked if she wanted to go into the bowels of the castle for a spot of fairy hunting. 'The best fun in the Underground, I tells ya!' he had said with great enthusiasm, but she had turned down the offer, preferring to be alone for a little while.

But now she wished to be just about anywhere else instead of on that endless staircase, and really wished she had listened to Jareth about not wandering around the castle when he wasn't there. She was tired and longed for the simple pleasure of a pillow under her head and a blanket to keep the chills of night air away. The thought of having to stay on those stairs until someone found her not at all appealing, she most certainly didn't want to spend the night there, so she leaned over the banister, braving the feeling of vertigo, and raised her voice.

"Help! Someone help me!" she shouted, hoping that her voice carried and caught someone's attention. She wasn't panicky, not in the least frightened, only eager to get back to a part of the castle she was familiar with. "I'm trapped in an endless stairwell! Someone help me get out of here!"

No one answered. Even the echo of her voice didn't return. She slumped against the wall again, then willed her feet forward once more. This time she ran her hand along the wall just in case she came to a doorway that was hidden from her sight.

Exactly one hundred steps later, laying in the perfect center of her path, was a piece of paper folded neatly in the style of a letter. She frowned as she picked it up, taking note of the lack of seal or signature, and glanced around to see if there were any signs of the person, or creature, who had left it there. But there were none, so she opened it up.

The handwriting was crude and sloppy, scrawled across the page in small and often tight lettering that was hard to read. A few minutes of hard staring and the words slowly started coming together in her mind, and to her delight it was a small set of instructions on how to get out of the spot she was in.

_'Go left on this step, a secret doorway you will find.' _was the first line. Sarah saw only a blank wall, but in reaching out to touch it discovered there was indeed a hidden doorway. Smiling and wondering what possessed Jareth, or whoever had first made the Labyrinth, to fill it with such tricks she went through it and found herself in a long narrow hall.

_'Follow path, at end of hall there be a door. Go through it.' _

Sarah did as the note said, but had a creeping feeling run up her spine as she wondered just how someone knew where she was and where she would be. True, she had called for help, but it seemed to her that someone had to have been watching her all that time as she went wondering around the castle to know where to put such a helpful letter. _Am I being watched right now? _she looked back over her shoulder as she went on.

And there it was, the door. It stood out from all other doors she had seen just by how plain it was; there were no carvings, no giant metal hinges. or even a plaque to say what was behind it. It wasn't even a double door, merely a single through which only one person at a time could fit; even the door to her own room was a double. A simple wood door with a tarnished brass knob, that was all it was, and it gave her the willies just looking at it.

But there were no other doors in the hall, and the only way back led to the staircase, so she turned the knob and walked into the room beyond. _Just like the door, a perfectly ordinary room, with a few pieces of ordinary furniture, that is nothing like any place I have seen in the whole castle until now. Disused perhaps? An empty storage area? Who knows? _

But she wasn't comfortable being there, as if she were where she wasn't supposed to be. Looking around there was nothing to be seen that she thought would give her such creepy sensations, there was not so much as a dark painting staring at her from one of the walls. Sarah quickly read the next part of the letter, wanting to be gone as quickly as possible.

_'Look in mahogany desk, large drawer. Take key and use on double doors.' _Sarah found the desk on the wall to her right, and sure enough there was a key laying in the middle of the otherwise empty drawer. She snatched it and trotted over to the indicated doors. The key fit in the lock, and she gave it a small turn; the doors flew open so quickly she barely missed being slammed in the face by one of them.

"I should have known it was some kind of a trick!" Sarah growled, seeing not an open doorway but a closet filled from top to bottom with papers, letters and scrolls, one of which fell off of its shelf and landed at her feet. She stooped and picked it up, planning on just putting it back where it came from, but it came unrolled in her hands, and out of curiosity she read the fancy writing on it.

The opening line was a date, some time she had no idea of, though there was something to indicate it had to be during the current High Queen's reign. But any curiosity about the date was wiped out by the words that came after it.

_'On this date, Crowned Prince Jareth, heir to the Labyrinth Kingdom and all it holds, offered his hand to and was accepted by the Crowned Princess Rosalinda, heiress to the Kingdom of the Mist...'_

It went on from there, all the wording suggesting that it was a joyous occasion for all and that the hearts of all the subjects of both kingdoms were filled with delight and happiness for both parties. But all Sarah could feel was her world slowly turning upside down; there was no joy in her, only the terrible pain that came from the one question that was on her mind.

_Is Jareth already married to Rosalinda?_

Laying on the floor where it had fallen from her hands, the letter that had guided her burst into flames and vanished.


	39. Chapter 39

_Dear Readers, I thank you for being so patient with me! This is, as far as my chapters go, a rather short one, but I hope it will keep you satisfied until I get the next chapter finished. And hopefully it won't be too long before then as I finally have a little more time to myself for writing and my inspiration has returned to me, overwhelming my long-term writers block:)  
_

_Thank you all for the reviews, hugs to everyone!  
_

* * *

Of all the things that Clarissa expected to find when blowing in on her trespassers the very last was a lone male Fae kneeling next to a small fire, his back to the door. Taking a quick look around showed no signs of anyone there but himself, and for an instant she wondered if her wizard had been seeing things that were not there.

And what was more it seemed to Clarissa that this unknown person was waiting for her to arrive. There was not the slightest hint that he was startled at being discovered, not even an air that suggested he was dismayed at being found out in the place she had tried so hard to hide from prying eyes.

"Ah, Clarissa!" he said in a pleasant tone took her off guard. "Just putting some more wood on the fire. Do take a seat and warm yourself, you must be cold. Your wizard is quite welcome to join us."

Clarissa felt at a disadvantage, though she didn't show it, and pulled her wizard close to whisper in his ear. "I thought you said there was more than one person here."

"There were, madam!" he said with certainty. "I am sure there were three, and Rosalinda was among them. Why not ask him?"

_If this were not so important I would deliver you a good blow for suggesting the obvious to me as if I were nothing but a child! _She thought crossly as she cautiously walked up behind the strange man. He moved aside and gestured that she sit down on the makeshift seat, giving her the uncomfortable feeling that she was a guest and he the host.

"Forgive the lack of refreshments, but getting here in the first place was not easy when on constant lookout for your demons, and carrying provisions would have been most foolish and a waste of time." he poked at the flames, making them jump and pop. Clarissa tried to lean forward to get a look at his face, but he turned just far enough away to prevent such a thing, so she studied his profile. But, to her dismay, she didn't recognize him at all. "And thanks to the inhibiting spells that infest this castle I am unable to conjure up even the smallest of morsels for your royal enjoyment. I take it only black magic can work in here."

"Just how did you get here?" she kept her tone polite and formal; no need for hostilities at the moment, though that was subject to change at a seconds notice. "And how long have you known about my little secret hobby?"

He shrugged. "In answer to the second question, I have known about it long enough. And as for the first, I made it here with a great deal of difficulty and at great personal risk. Midday is the safest time, also the warmest, and that is when I made my trek through those demon infested trees. Not running into or disturbing one was not as easy as you might have thought."

_Playing coy, are we? Well, a few more questions and if you haven't given me anything to go on then I will proceed with more extreme measures! _She thought, fingers curling around the hilt of a knife hidden in her cloak.

"I see that you were expecting me to come, though the reason evades me." she shifted her feet on the floor, trying to keep them warm. Though she had been able to wish herself right into the castle, as it was in her realm, and forgo the long walk her trespassers had been obliged to make it didn't mean she wasn't already freezing. Even the warmth of the fire didn't cut through the icy air that surrounded her.

"Yes, I did fully expect you to come." he faced her at last. She made a quick study of his handsome features, but he remained unknown to her. The best guess she could make was that he was some commoner from Jareth's realm who had been sent to convey a message. There was no doubt in her mind that he was expendable as well. "I am here to demand that you cease in your plans and find an easy and quiet way to step down from the High Throne. Comply with this and no one ever need know about any of the things you have done."

Clarissa's mouth dropped wide open, and she didn't know if she should be amused at his brazen demands or insulted that he might think she would actually give into them. "Whatever gave you the idea that I might even be tempted to go along with such outrageous demands, and from one such as yourself?"

Again he shrugged. "Well, I didn't think you would pay them any heed, but I promised to try. And now that it is out of the way then we can get down to other things. For example-" he finished up with drawing a dirk out of his furs and stabbing it into her side. She was too stunned to utter more than a whimper at the searing pain, but a look down at the hilt sticking out from right above her left hipbone, blood running freely and staining her gown, made a sick groan escape her throat. "Greetings from all those you have betrayed, in particular my family of the Shadows." he whispered harshly in her ear, and smiled at her astonishment upon realizing who he was.

Klaus had been watching the exchange from the other side of the room, rubbing his hands together and stamping his feet to keep the blood circulating, but his ministrations came to an abrupt end at the sight of the man stabbing his mistress. Acting almost before his mind could kick in, the wizard jerked his own small blade from his robes and rushed up beside the dark-haired man, slipping the blade in between his ribs before he could defend himself.

"Now, I admit, I didn't see that one coming!" Giric groaned, feeling dizzy and sick. His vision began to swim before his eyes.

"Klaus, no!" Clarissa managed to gasp in painful breaths as the man fell backwards off his seat and into a heap on the cold floor. Klaus turned away from him and caught his queen in his arms as she teetered unsteadily on her seat. "Fool, you killed him-"

"No, madam." he said, pulling her hands away from her side and examining the wound carefully. It didn't look lethal, but he wasn't going to take any chances. "On that blade was a sedative, he is out cold now. He has suffered little more than a flesh wound; I will take you back to the High Castle and tend to you, and afterward he will be ready to be interrogated."

Clarissa allowed herself a slight smile as she lay there in agony, hand wrapped around the hilt of the blade she couldn't bring herself to pull out. Her wizard might be a fool, but time and time again he had proven himself to be wise enough to keep around, and this was one of those times. And all the hours she had put in on teaching him black magic hadn't been wasted, that she could see as he summoned up a company of demons to scour the forest for Rosalinda and the other person who was with her.

JSJSJS

Standing just out of sight, back pressed to a tree, Penelope watched as Rosalinda dealt a deadly blow to the chest of a demon with her dagger. The beast, a mountain of white fur twice as large as the lady, fell to the ground and she quickly pulled the blade out; his talons twitched, and blood dripped from his dog-like snout as the life left his body. _Word of her skill as a fighter was not exaggerated! _the princess thought, deeply impressed with the Mist Queen's ability to take on such a massive beast and make the killing look effortless.

But it was clear that she was growing tired. Unable to wish herself out of the forest she had had no choice but to make a run for the outside, and battling the cold along with several demons had taken their toll on her. Though she tried to hide it Penelope could see her limbs shaking, and the markings around her eyes, ones normally so pale they appeared to be no more than a dash of glitter, had darkened into a rose-pink.

"How much further do we have to go?" Rosalinda asked, panting for breath as she wiped sweat out of her eyes. She was burning hot inside and longed to take her cloak off, but knew that she would cool down quickly enough and want it as the sweat froze to her skin. _And this is Giric's cloak. He will be wanting it back. _

And she hoped she would be able to give it back to him. He hadn't fled with them, saying he would remain behind to get them the time they needed to escape. She hadn't argued, simply left with the princess as her guide to the shortest path out of the demon infested forest, and now she was glad that she had listened to him so easily. Had he not stayed she was certain they would have been caught long ago; whatever he did it bought them just enough time to get ahead.

She hadn't thought much about him since parting ways at the castle, not needing the added worry of whether or not he was still alive on top of the dangerous path ahead. Keeping herself and Penelope alive was the most important thing, and once they were both safe then she had the whole Underground to worry about. No, Giric was very low on the list of important things, and she couldn't waste time on worrying about him.

In answer to her question Penelope pointed to the forest behind Rosalinda's back and smiled. The other lady took it to mean there was not much more ground to traverse, for which she was incredibly thankful; she was exhausted from running flat out for so long and needed to rest more than anything. She held out her hand to the princess and they both started running again.

Behind them was the sound of limbs being torn and snapped from trees, and the occasional howl of a demon who had just picked up their scent. Both sounds made Rosalinda move faster and harder than she thought herself capable of. It was too fast for Penelope to keep up with and she ended up channeling all her energy into springing each time her feet hit the ground, flying through the air for a few dozen yards while Rosalinda pulled her forward.

_If for nothing else, I will see to it that Clarissa at least pays for inhibiting my magical abilities! _Penelope thought to herself with an angry frown as she hit the ground and sprang back up again, barely missing hitting her head on a low flying branch as she did so. _I have done everything I could to make sure that this didn't get personal, but after the major part of all this is done then I am going to make my sister pay for using her black magic on me like she did... that and that other matter._

Rosalinda finally saw the forest thinning before her and charged for it with renewed vigor. Another howl went up in the cold night air, and it was so close that the hair on the back of her sweat damp neck stood on end, but she shoved her fear aside and went on. Fighting and slaying demons was something any trained fighter could do with relative ease, but the sounds spoke of large numbers of them, and she didn't think she would survive against a whole army.

A final burst of strength and the two of them flew out of the trees and were in the open. Rosalinda put a little distance between them and the forest boundary before skidding to a stop in knee deep snow. Penelope collapsed beside her, breathing every bit as hard though she hadn't run more than a few steps in comparison to her companion.

"Will you return to the High Court?" Rosalinda asked after taking a few deep breaths, looking up at the massive silver moon in the sky and then back to the forest. Inside the boundary she could just make out the white forms of the demons that had chased them, and to her horror some of them continued out, still intent on catching them.

Penelope nodded, then looked at her with pleading eyes._ Do as you were told, and we may have a chance at stopping my sister. _Rosalinda read the words in the princess's eyes, she didn't need Giric to speak for her. "I will do what I can in convincing Jareth to assist you, though I can't promise that he will go for this." Penelope nodded again, though she was confidant that Rosalinda would be able to do the convincing with ease.

The demons were closing in on them quickly, making their way through the snow drifts with remarkable ease. But, when they came to where the two Fae had been mere seconds before there was nothing except for the slightest traces of footprints in the snow.

* * *

_I know how much you all hate Clarissa, so I hope you enjoyed her getting stabbed... that and it will be very important to the plot later on:) And don't worry, she will get hers, I promise!_


End file.
